More Than A Competition: The 20th KCF All-Girls National Chess Championship Celebrates Bright Future of Girls in Chess

Editor's note: This recap of the KCF All-Girls National Chess Championship was authored by Ella Guo, a junior at The Harker School in California. CLO is grateful for Guo's contribution and her initiative in reaching out and offering to write this article while also competing in the U18 section.

If any information is inaccurate, any names are misspelled, or any photos of champions are missing, please email Click here to show email address with corrections or additoinal photos.

The 20th Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) All-Girls National Chess Championship began with energy and excitement as more than 500 girls from 33 states gathered to compete in one of the largest girls’ chess events in the country.

Adding to the vibrant atmosphere, US Chess Women hosted a booth that drew enthusiastic crowds. Players stopped by to collect stamps, pick up pencils, mini ducks, and sweets including candy and chocolate.

"The US Chess Women’s Committee has had a stellar time here at All Girls Nationals so far! Huge thanks to all of the players, parents, and coaches who have stopped by our table to receive game analysis and indulge in our giveaways! #USChessWomen #USChess #AllGirlsNationals2025" pic.twitter.com/Xozp7YYb66
— US Chess (@USChess) April 6, 2025

The Positive Post-it Board provided a constructive space where participants shared inspiring messages and advice, which created a colorful mosaic of encouragement.

Photo by Ella Guo

The championship weekend officially kicked off Friday morning with the Bughouse tournament, where 16 teams competed in the team games. Taking first place was The Chapin School, WIM Chloe Gaw and WCM Hema Vikas, who scored 3½/4.

Hema Vikas and Chloe Gaw won the Bughouse tournament before the main event (Photo by Ella Guo)

Two teams tied for second with 3 points: The Kaurs, featuring WFM Aradh Kaur and WCM Jind Kaur, and The Boba Tea Girls, made up of Daisy Yuen and Emma Phu.

Following the opening ceremony, players made their first moves of the tournament as the main rounds began at 3:00 PM. Players from kindergarten to high school seniors took their seats for the classical games. As a fun and thoughtful surprise, one player from each section received a portable wooden chess set through a random drawing during the third round. The winning sets were marked with a hidden note under the queens, adding an extra touch of excitement to the tournament experience.

The first day concluded with a high-energy blitz tournament at 7 PM, with 70 players competing in five double rounds. NM Jasmine Su delivered a dominant performance, finishing with 9½/10, conceding only one draw. Chloe Stark followed with 8½/10 points to secure second place, while Gaw, Kaur, and Joshini Sudhakar tied for third with 8/10 points each.

Chloe Stark — From left: Su, Stark, and Gaw. Photos by Ella Guo.

The final day included decisive matchups that would determine this year’s champions or — in the case of the U8 and U18 sections — co-champions. In the U18 category, WIM Iris Mou and WFM Megan Paragua both made it through four rounds with perfect scores, despite some resistance:

In round five, the co-leaders Wins over WFM Irene Fei and WCM Tori Porat, respectively, saw the two New Yorkers clinch their shares of the championship with 5½/6 scores, with Paragua finishing ahead of Mou on tiebreaks.

“It's important to gather more girls to play chess, especially since if you were to play in a regular tournament, there's going to be more boys than girls, so it's also an inspiration for more girls to play chess and it's just a fun way of making friends,” Paragua said. “From this tournament I've met so many people. And they're so kind and I can make good connections and make new friends.”

U18 Co-Champions Paragua (L) and Mou (Photos by DeShaun Adams)

Paragua’s team, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, finished in clear first in the team standings with 12½/18, a half-point ahead of New York’s Stuyvesant High School and Mou’s Dalton School, which finished second and third, respectively, on tiebreaks.

U18 Champion team Columbia Grammar & Prep (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

The U16 section featured a close contest among Jasmine Su, WIM Chloe Gaw, and Gaofei Wang headed into the final day. But, at the end of Sunday, Su emerged victorious with a 6/6 score after wins over both Gaw and Wang on the final day.

“I really like this tournament cause it was an all girls experience,” Su said. “There's only a few tournaments like this and more girls have opportunities to play, so it's really nice. There’s also awards like trophies and different sections so that girls can play against the same level.”

U16 Champion Jasmine Su (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

Not to say it was easy for Su, who was challenged as early as her second-round game against Joshini Sudhakar. Despite the almost-600-point differential in their ratings, Sudhakar played well against Su’s Grünfeld, holding close to even into a tense endgame:

Hunter College High School won the team trophy by a full two points with an impressive 11/18 score. New York’s Stuyvesant and Success Academy Springfield Gardens finished second and third, respectively, with 9/18 scores.

Hunter College High School (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

In the U14, Leah Yang and Audrey Li remained undefeated heading into the final day. But a 19-move draw in their head-to-head match-up Sunday morning allowed New York’s Audrey Zhou and Texas’s Nethra Vinayagaram to join the leaders headed into the final round.

Zhou was fortunate to enter Sunday only a half-point behind the leaders, however, as she had to salvage a draw from a piece-down endgame against Summer Loh in round 4:

Loh then lost her fifth-round game against Vinayagaram, still finishing in a tie for sixth with a 4½/6 score. Zhou had the upper hand for most of her fifth-round game against Serena Liu, but still had to prove herself in a materially imbalanced endgame:

In the final round, Zhou’s victory over Li guaranteed her at least a share of the title. After Yang and Vinayagaram agreed to a draw on board two, Zhou’s 5½/6 score secured her clear first.

“You have to never give up because in a few of my games I felt I was losing, but since I never gave up, it helped me win,” Zhou said. “That's a really important lesson for everyone to never give up. You could lose games, but it's not the end of the world. Winning feels really good and losing is fine.”

Audrey Zhou won the U14 section (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

Success Academy Midtown West finished first in the team standings with 11/18, while two more New York schools tied for second on 10/18 scores: Edgemont Junior Senior High School (Scarsdale) and Dalton.

U14 Team Champions Success Academy Midtown West (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

The U12 section remained especially competitive, with five players holding perfect records: Emma Yang, Christine Nguyen, Marissa Lu, Aadya Kakarla, and Sahasra Vijay. California’s Yang was the only player who managed to win both of her games on Sunday, clinching clear first with an unblemished 6/6 score.

U12 Champion Emma Yang (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

The Speyer Legacy School finished first in the team standings with an impressive 13/18 score, ahead of New York’s Success Academy Midtown West (12/18) and Nest+M (11/18).

U12 Champions Speyer Legacy School (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

In the U10 section, Celine Chen, Alexandra Liu, Dena Wang, and Melanie Liang all led with 4 points. Wins over Chen and Wang saw New York’s Liang (not pictured) finish clear first with a perfect 6/6 score.

Two teams tied for first in the U10 section with 11½/18 scores, with PS 77 Lower Lab School finishing ahead of The Speyer Legacy School on tiebreaks. Hunter College Elementary School finished clear third with 10½/18.

Headed into the final day, the U8 division saw four co-leaders with perfect 4/4 scores: Avrora Okonova, Emily Tang, Irene Lin, and Emma Ge. Ge took sole lead on 5/5 headed into the final round thanks to her win over Okonova, while Tang and Lin agreed to a draw in their head-to-head match-up. But Tang’s win over Le saw in the last round saw her leapfrog the leader, with Lin catching Tang on 5½/6 thanks to her win over Hanwen Lu. Illinois’s Tang finished ahead of Lin, a New Yorker, on tiebreaks.

U8 Co-Champions Emily Tang (L) and Irene Lin (Photos by DeShaun Adams)

The Speyer Legacy School won the team trophy with a 10½/18 score, a half-point ahead of two other New York schools: The Parkside Brooklyn and Success Academy Union Square (second and third, respectively, on tiebreaks).

U8 Champions Speyer Legacy School (Photo by DeShaun Adams)

For those keeping tabs on the top teams, every section boasted a trio of New York schools atop the standings. Edgemont Junior Senior High School, which finished second in the U14 section, was the only school outside of New York City in this group. Four New York individuals also won at least a share of their section. What a statement for NYC chess’s commitment to training and developing girls in chess!

The successful conclusion of the 20th KCF Annual All-Girls National Chess Championship served as a reminder that this annual event is not only a competition, but also a celebration of the bright future of girls in chess. Many thanks to the organizers at Kasparov Chess Foundation, in partnership with Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation, for their work in organizing this milestone event.