Pan-American Youth Championship XXXIV Report and Recap

Update, July 23, 2024: an earlier version of this story mistakenly reported that Eshaan Hebbar earned an IM norm for his share of first in the Under-18 section. Hebbar actually earned the IM title for winning the gold on tiebreaks. FM Terry Luo earned an IM norm for finishing tied for first. 

A total of 368 players representing 28 federations participated across 12 sections in the Pan-American Youth Championship XXXIV. The tournament, held from July 15 through 20 in Orlando, Florida was hosted in partnership with the Confederation of Chess for Americas (CCA), International Chess Federation (FIDE), and Rosen Shingle Creek.

Overall, American players won 25 of the 36 total medals, including 11 golds. WIM Sofia Mayorga Araya, of Costa Rica, was the lone international gold medalist, winning the Girls Under-16 a clear two points ahead of the field with an 8/9 score. 

All results can be seen on Chess-Results.com, and games from the top boards of each section can be reviewed on USChess.live. Below are photos, games, and news about direct titles from each section.

Under-18

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(From left) Terry Luo, Eshaan Hebbar, Max Rusonik (Photo courtesy US Chess)

CM Eshaan Hebbar and FM Terry Luo tied for first with 7/9 scores, with Hebbar taking first on tiebreaks. As a result, Hebbar earned the IM title for his performance, which included a head-to-head win over Luo. Luo earned an IM norm for his share of first.

Girls Under-18

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(From left) Veronica Orbe Vivero, Ruiyang Yan, Paula Hernandez Diaz (Photo courtesy US Chess)

FM Ruiyang Yan won the gold with a 7½/9 score, a half-point ahead of Veronica Orbe Vivero (Ecuador) and Paula Hernandez Diaz (Mexico). Yan already has the WIM title, and Orbe Vivero earned the WFM title for her performance. 

Under-16

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(From left) Christopher Garzon Zapatanga and Eric Liu (Photo courtesy US Chess)

IM Eric Liu took clear first with a 7½/9 score, a half-point ahead of Ecuador's Christopher Garzon Zapatanga. Liu earned an IM norm for his gold medal, which he clearly does not need! But Garzon Zapatanga earned the CM title for his silver medal finish. Not pictured is FM Benjamin Tang, who finished in clear third with a 6½/9 score.

Girls Under-16

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(From left) Lucy Gao, Sofia Mayorga Araya, Chloe Wang (Photo courtesy US Chess)

WIM Sofia Mayorga Araya (Costa Rica) ran away from the competition with an 8/9 score that was a full two points ahead of WCM Chloe Wang and Lucy Gao, who each finished with 6/9 scores. Like Liu in the Under-16 open, Mayorga Araya earned a norm she did not need, as she already has the WIM title. 

Under-14

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(From left) Cristhian Yamil Reyes Zavaleta, Henry Deng, Aditeya (Photo courtesy US Chess)

FM Henry Deng earned gold with a 7½/9 score, a half-point ahead of Cristhian Yamil Reyes Zavaleta (Peru). Aditeya Das tied with CM Narayan Venkatesh for third with 6½/9, but won bronze on tiebreaks. The tiebreak was fortuitous for Das, who earns a CM title for his podium finish. Reyes Zavaleta also earns the CM title for his silver medal. 

Girls Under-14

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From left: Anais Fiset, Jenny Qi, Juliana Silva (Photo courtesy US Chess)

Jenny Qi earned her WFM title with her gold medal finish and 7/9 score! WFM Anais Fiset (Canada) finished clear second with 6½/9, and WCM Juliana Silva (Brazil) led a group of players tied for third with 6/9 to earn the bronze.

Under-12

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(From left) Ethan Guo, Eric Liu, Enzo Vinales Gonzalez (Photo Courtesy US Chess)

Patrick Liu won the gold medal with a 7½/9 score and also earned his FM title by finishing ahead of CM Ethan Guo on tiebreaks. Enzo Vinales Gonzalez (Paraguay) also earned a CM title for his bronze medal finish and 7/9 score, a clear point ahead of the rest of the field.

Girls Under-12

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(From left) Irene Fei, Sophie Li, Aimee Yang (From left) Ethan Guo, Eric Liu, Enzo Vinales Gonzalez (Photo Courtesy US Chess)

A trio of American WCMs swept the podium, with Sophie Li earning the WFM title for her gold medal performance and 8/9 score. Irene Fei was clear second with 7½/9, and Aimee Yang was clear third with 6½/9.

Under-10

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(From left) Rafael Palathingal, Vivan Mulay, Aakash Jani (Photo courtesy US Chess)

A trio of untitled Americans swept the section, each earning CM titles for their performances. Vivan Mulay won the gold with a 7½/9 score. A half-point behind him was Rafael Palathingal in second, and Aakash Jani earned bronze with 6½/9.

Girls Under-10

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(From left) Alicia Zhu, Miranda Meng, Annie Yao (Photo courtesy US Chess)

Another three untitled Americans, another three direct (WCM) titles! Miranda Meng won the gold with her 7½/9 score, and Alicia Zhu was clear second in 7/9. Annie Yao won the bronze with 6½/9 ahead of Wan Qin Li on tiebreaks.

Under-8

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(From left) Ian Singh, Aiden Li, Tobias Passmore (Photo courtesy US Chess)

Aiden Li won the gold medal by a wide margin, winning the section with an 8½/9 score, a full point ahead of Ian Avery Singh. Singh, in turn was a point-and-a-half ahead of the field, with Tobias Passmore (Chile) winning the bronze on tiebreaks ahead of a pack of players with 6/9 scores. The trio all earn CM titles for their podium finishes. 

Girls Under-8 

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(From left) Elizabeth Xia, Abigail Zhou, Sarah Nguyen (Photo courtesy US Chess)

Last but not least, three more WCMs! Abigail Zhou was the only player in any of the 12 sections to go an unblemished 9/9, obviously winning the gold with such a score. Elizabeth Xia and Sarah Nguyen finished tied for second with 7/9 scores, and Xia took the silver on tiebreaks. 

Keep an eye out for more highlights from this event in upcoming Tactics Tuesday and Wednesday Workout features!

Blitz Winners

The tournament also featured a blitz tournament, played at the FIDE standard blitz time control of three-minute games with two-second increment per move. The five double-round tournaments took place on the morning of Thursday, July 18, and likewise featured 12 sections. Results are shared below, and stay tuned for photos of the winners. More info can be found here. All players represent USA unless otherwise noted.

Under-18

WFM Ashley Alexandra Castillo Beitita (Panama) won gold with an impressive 8½/10 score. Finishing a point-and-a-half behind the winner, FM Terry Luo and Andres Elias May Sanchez took silver and gold, respectively, on tiebreaks. In the classical event, Castillo Beitita also participated in the Under-18 open section, finishing 17th, despite being eligible for the Under-16 Girls section!

Under-18 Girls:

WFM Paula Sofia Hernandez Diaz (Mexico), who finished in a tie for second in the classical tournament, won the blitz outright with an impressive 9½/10 score. WFM Maria Teresa Jimenez Salas (Peru) finished second with a 7½/10 score, and WCM April Yunwei Zhong (Canada) won the bronze with 6½/10.

Under-16:

IM Eric Liu won the gold outright with an 8/10 score, a half-point of silver medalist FM Nathan Yan, who finished in clear second. Matias Israel Guerrero Cajeca (Ecuador) won the bronze with 7/10.

Under-16 Girls:

WCM Anika Rajaram won the gold with an 8/10 score, a full point of the classical gold medalist WIM Sofia Mayorga Araya (Costa Rica). Hema Vikas won bronze on tiebreaks ahead of two other players tied for third with 5½/10.

Under-14:

FM Dylan Tang won the gold with an 8/10 score, a half-point ahead of Ryan Yunhui Zhong (Canada). FM Henry Deng, the classical gold medalist in this section, tied for third with Aditeya Das and won bronze ahead of Das on tiebreaks. 

Under-14 Girls:

Audrey Keyan Li scored an upset gold medal in the Under-14 Girls section, finishing with a 9½/10 score despite entering the tournament seeded 16th out of 19 players. Aliana Fausto (seeded sixth) finished clear second with 8/10, and second-seeded WFM Juliana Figueira Theophilo Silva (Brazil) won the bronze on tiebreaks ahead of a host of players finishing with 6½/10 scores.

Under-12:

CM Vihaan Jammalamadaka won gold on tiebreaks ahead of Jashith Karthi after the pair finished tied atop the standings with 8/10 scores. Patrick Liu won bronze ahead of three other players tied for third with 7/10 scores.

Under-12 Girls:

WCM Aimee Yang won the gold with her clear first performance and 9/10 score, ahead of WCM Mia Fernanda Guzman Garcia (Mexico), who finished a point behind her. Fabiana Jimenez Salas won bronze on tiebreaks with a 6½/10 score.

Under-10: 

The Under-10 section was the only with a three-way tie for first. On tiebreaks, Alexander Jasinski won gold, Ariv Debmisra won silver, and Sasha Milo Schaefer won bronze. The trio all finished with 8/10 scores. 

Under-10 Girls:

The Under-10 Girls section saw a pair of players finish with 9/10 scores (guess who they each lost a game to!). Annie Yao won gold on tiebreaks ahead of Aileen Lou, with Alisa Joseph finishing third with 6½/10.

Under-8:

Aiden Li continued his recent string of impressive results across all time controls, winning gold with a 9½/10 score. Ian Singh won the silver with 8/10, and Bishrelt Munkhsuld won bronze in clear third with 7/10.

Under-8 Girls:

Abigail Zhou and Sarah Nguyen tied for first with 8½/10 scores. Zhou won the gold medal on tiebreaks, and Chloe Zheng picked up the bronze with a clear third-place finish and 7/10 score.