FIDE World Junior Chess Championship Kicks Off in Mexico City

The 2023 FIDE World Junior Chess Championship (Open U20 & Girls U20) begins today in Mexico City, Mexico. The tournament is organized by the Mexican Chess Federation in collaboration with CONADE (National Sports Commission), COM (Mexican Olympic Committee) and Culture Ministry.

courtesy creative commons

Both sections are 11-round Swiss System events played at the classical time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by an additional 30 minutes on move 40 and a 30-second increment from the first move. The tournament is open to players who were under the age of 20 on January 1, 2023.

In the Open, GM Hans Niemann (who turned 20 on June 20) is the overall top seed, and IMs Andy Woodward (13), Kirk Ghazarian (17) and Josiah Stearman (20) are also joining him. A full list of participants is available here.

Hans Niemann at the SLCC during the 2022 U.S. Championship (courtesy Austin Fuller/SLCC)

In the Women's section, IM Carissa Yip (who turned 20 on September 10) and eight-year-old (!!) WCM Romi Milner will be representing the U.S.A. Yip also joins the field as the top overall seed. The full list of participants is available here.

Carissa Yip at the 2022 U.S. Junior Championship (courtesy Crystal Fuller/SLCC)

The first round begins at 5:00 p.m. CDT today, September 21, with the only double-day occurring Friday, September 22, with round two at 11:00 a.m. CDT and round three at 6:00 p.m. CDT. Rounds four through ten will then start daily at 5:00 p.m. CDT beginning Saturday, September 23, and the final round will be played on the morning of Sunday, October 1, at 11:00 a.m. CDT. The games can be followed on Lichess.org and Chess.com (link forthcoming).