2026 Samford Fellowship Winners Announced

The Frank P. Samford, Jr. Chess Fellowship, marking its 40th annual award, has selected Grandmasters Andy Woodward of McKinney, Texas; Abhimanyu Mishra of Englishtown, New Jersey; Andrew Hong of Saratoga, California; Brewington Hardaway of New York City; Kirk Ghazarian of Trabuco Canyon, California; International Masters Carissa Yip of St. Louis; Alice Lee of North Oaks, Minnesota; Rose Atwell of Valencia, California; Woman Grandmaster Zoey Tang of Portland, Oregon; and FIDE Master Megan Paragua of New York City as its 2026 Fellows. The Samford is the most important chess fellowship in the United States, having awarded three million dollars over four decades.

Since its 1987 inception, the Fellowship has proven very useful. The total value of the Fellowships has been increased several times over the years and is now $70,000 annually. Woodward will receive $15,000, Yip $10,000, Mishra $9,000, Hong $6000, Ghazarian, Hardaway, Lee, Atwell, Tang and Paragua $5,000 each. Fellows are eligible to receive up to a maximum of $84,000 in total support. The winners’ terms began June 1, 2026.

The winners were chosen by the Samford Fellowship Committee, consisting of Paul Samford (son of Frank P. Samford III and grandson of Samford Fellowship founder Frank P. Samford, Jr.), former U.S. Chess Champion Grandmaster Yury Shulman and International Master John Donaldson. The winners’ potential was determined based on their chess talent, work ethic, dedication and accomplishments. The Fellowship is administered by the U.S. Chess Trust with particularly valuable services provided by Al Lawrence.

The Samford Chess Fellowship was created by the late Frank P. Samford, Jr. of Birmingham Alabama. Mr. Samford was a distinguished attorney and CEO of Liberty National Life Insurance Company (now Torchmark). He was active in civic, business, political, educational and cultural affairs. Mr. Samford was also an enthusiastic competitor in chess tournaments. After providing financial support for several chess projects, he decided to do something significant for American chess. The result was the Samford Fellowship.

Since its inception the Fellowship has proven very successful. Many Samford Fellows have become strong Grandmasters, members of the United States Olympiad team and US Champions. Four of the five members of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Olympiad team which finished third (Gulruhbegim Tohirjonova, Carissa Yip, Irina Krush and Alice Lee) are current or former Samford Fellows.

Generous contributions from the late Mrs. Virginia Samford and the Torchmark Corporation support the Fellowship. The Samford Fellowship is a fitting memorial to an extraordinary man. The dedication, creativity and achievement that marked Mr. Frank P. Samford, Jr.’s life are examples for all chess players to admire and emulate.

For more on the Samford, including a complete list of Samford Winners since 1987, visit www.uschesstrust.org/frank-p-samford-jr-chess-fellowship.