2026 Fremont All-Girls Chess Championship Uses US Chess Women's Grant to Make Chess Accessible

Editor’s Note: This article is written by 13-year-old Pranavi Pramod, who is in the top 50 ratings list for girls of her age. She is also one of the youngest tournament directors (TDs) in the country (TDs must be at least 13 years old to enroll in the mandatory SafeSport training).

Thanks to a 2025 US Chess Women's grant, Pranavi was able to work with the Fremont Chess Club and the Mission San Jose Elementary (MSJE) affiliate to not only organize the 2026 Fremont All-Girls Chess Championship, but to make it free for all entrants.

The inaugural Fremont All-Girls Chess Championship was held on April 26, 2026, at the Warm Springs Community Center in Fremont, California.

In recent years, female membership in US Chess has grown to 13,000 — an increase of 70% since 2009. Despite this progress, women still make up only 14% of the total membership. Tournaments such as this one are important steps towards the goal of expanding female participation and fostering the next generation of chess leaders.

Special Guests

Lily Mei, former mayor of Fremont, joined us after the final round to speak with the players about their experiences. As Fremont’s first female mayor, Lily emphasized the vital role of girls in leadership, urging the next generation to step forward and shape the future.

Image

Image Caption

From left: Anagha, Pranavi, Lily Mei, Laasya, Navya, Advith. (Photo courtesy Deepika Srinivas)

We also hosted a simultaneous exhibition featuring Swagatha Selvam (the #13 15-year-old girl in the country, as of April 2026), who rotated through multiple boards to play all participants at once. The exhibition was originally planned to be held on the outdoor patio; however, when light rain began, the event was relocated to a covered area outside the building.

Image

Image Caption

Swagatha Selvam during her simul. (Photo courtesy of the subject)

We were also delighted to welcome WFM Annapoorni Meiyappan, co-founder of FEMchess, who shared her inspiring chess journey and presented trophies to all the winners. She was happy to see a new generation of girls claiming their space at the chessboard. She added, “I am glad to see more all-girls tournaments in the Bay Area helping close the gender gap in chess. Keep playing and know you belong at every board.”

Results

In total, 71 players competed across five sections. Sasha Anjali Chugh won the K-12 1000+ section. One of her games (with my annotations) is included below, highlighting her excellent attacking strategy:

In the Grade 6-12 Under-1000 section, Kiruthika Jaiganesh and Ariel Yin shared the top honors. In the K-5 Under-1000 section, Nora Liang won first place with a perfect 4/4 score. Zeriah Garrison took first place in the K-5 Under-500 section.

Zeriah’s family was on a road trip from Southern California, and we were lucky enough to host them. It was particularly impressive to see 14 players participating in their first-ever rated tournament in the K-5 Unrated section, where Ariana Metz won first place with a 4/4 score.

Chess to Connect

We were honored to welcome IA Abel Talamantez, who represented the Hamilton Chess Club at our tournament. Abel shared his reflections on the event. “The 2026 All-Girls Championship organized by Fremont Chess was a great event that captured everything positive about scholastic chess,” Talamantez said.

“With over 70 participants, the girls got to play competitive games, socialize, test their skills, and make new friends, all in a supportive environment,” he continued. “Chess has the power to connect people, and our girls felt that connection at this event. Congratulations to … Pranavi and her team of volunteers for a very well-run event!”

Image

Image Caption

Photo courtesy Deepika Srinivas.

Other coaches were instrumental in drumming up turnout for this event. Among them, coach Wei Liu was in attendance, and he emphasized that chess is a powerful tool for developing leadership skills in girls. He added that it also builds confidence, critical thinking, and resilience.

Minal Koirala, a chess parent, shared her thoughts on the tournament, "The event was incredibly well organized and seamless to navigate. Coach Pranavi did a great job … in her efforts to encourage more girls to embrace chess — a game that is still largely male-dominated."

It Takes A Village

Building on the 30-year legacy of Coach Joe Lonsdale, who retired in 2020, the MSJE chess program has evolved into a parent-led nonprofit known as Fremont Chess. What began as a single-coach program has grown into a thriving community-driven organization, reflecting the strength and commitment of its members. By empowering MSJE alumni — many of whom have become certified Tournament Directors and FIDE-titled players — to return as mentors, Fremont Chess has created a sustainable cycle of growth and giving back to the game. Through a combination of strong competitive achievement, a structured TD development pipeline, and a clear commitment to gender equity, Fremont Chess is helping build a more inclusive and enduring foundation for the chess community.

Image

Image Caption

Photo courtesy Deepika Srinivas.

We are also grateful for the support of Maddie Lejean (a Romanian national master, educator, and streamer) and ChessKid.com, who generously provided one-month ChessKid Gold memberships to any participant who needed them. Following the event, Lejean shared her encouragement: “Congratulations on a successful 2026 Fremont All-Girls Chess Championship — it sounds like a wonderful event. Please let me know if you need any help with future events or initiatives. I would be happy to support your efforts in the chess community."

The success of this all-girls tournament was truly a team effort. Zhipeng Li served as the driving force behind the event, and his tireless dedication helped navigate complex logistics and bring everything together seamlessly. With Mother’s Day approaching, our heartful appreciation goes to Rashmi Ramakrishna, Rajeshwari Venkatasubramanian, and Deepika Srinivas: dedicated chess moms whose time and commitment have been invaluable to our community. Finally, sincere thanks to all the players, chess families, and sponsors whose support made this tournament possible.

You can watch the event video below: