The XVII Women’s Continental Chess Championship of the Americas 2026 recently drew to a close in Lima, Peru. Hosted at the elegant Delfines Hotel & Convention Center, the tournament brought together the finest female chess talents from across the continent for nine rounds of intense competition.
At the end of the final round, American prodigy WIM Iris Mou emerged as the clear winner. With a dominant performance, she scored 7.5 points to secure first place. By winning the continental title, Mou didn’t just take home the gold medal; she also earned the prestigious Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title directly and secured her qualification for the next FIDE Women’s World Cup.
The battle for the podium was incredibly tight. The silver medal went to WIM Valentina Argote Heredia from Colombia, who finished with an impressive 7 points. Her strong performance throughout the week kept her in contention for the title until the very final stages.
The bronze medal was decided by tiebreak criteria after three players finished tied with 6.5 points. WGM Thalia Cervantes Landeiro (USA) claimed third place thanks to her superior tiebreak score, leading the group that included Sabina-Francesca Foisor and Omya Vidyarthi.
The event, organized by the Chess Confederation of America (CCA) and the Peruvian Sports Chess Federation (FDPA), was a resounding success, highlighting the growing strength of women’s chess in the Americas.
Congratulations to Iris Mou on her new title and a historic victory!
Final standings:
1 WIM Mou Iris USA 2151 – 7.5
2 WIM Argote Heredia Valentina COL 2120 – 7
3 WGM Cervantes Landeiro Thalia USA 2247 – 6.5
4 WGM Foisor Sabina-Francesca USA 2222 – 6.5
5 WIM Vidyarthi Omya USA 2117 – 6.5
6 IM Cori T. Deysi PER 2335 – 6
7 FM Alboredo Julia BRA 2190 – 6
8 WIM Gomez Barrera Javiera Belen CHI 2146 – 6
9 WGM Francisco Guecamburu Candela Be ARG 2234 – 6
10 WIM Mogollon Tobar Nicolle Julieth COL 2109 – 6
11 WIM Obregon Garcia Roxangel CUB 2126 – 6
12 WIM Jimenez Salas Maria Teresa PER 2175 – 5.5
13 FM Contreras Huaman Fiorella PER 2197 – 5.5
14 WIM Miranda Rodriguez Tania MEX 2059 – 5.5
15 WFM Muniz Guevara Amanda Maria CUB 2147 – 5
16 WIM Mollo Figueroa Nicole BOL 2042 – 5
17 WGM Heredia Serrano Carla ECU 2133 – 5
18 WIM Mazariegos Kummerfeldt Carolina GUA 1937 – 5
19 WIM Miller Rachel JAM 2002 – 5
20 WIM Aliaga Fernandez Ingrid Y PER 2111 – 5
21 WFM Arenas Lavado Luciana Andrea PER 1887 – 5
22 IM Castillo Beitia Ashley Alexandra PAN 2210 – 5
23 WCM Gomez Gonzales Fabiana PER 1946 – 5
24 AFM Goodkind Lauren USA 1863 – 5
25 WCM Garcia Hernandez Rebeca MEX 2019 – 5
26 WFM Maravi Ceron Ayme PER 1795 – 4.5
27 WCM Esteban Castro Esther Raquel PER 1758 – 4.5
28 WFM Regam Jessica USA 1895 – 4.5
29 WCM Rivera Negron Yanira PUR 1848 – 4.5
30 AFM Jimenez Salas Fabiana PER 1769 – 4
31 WCM Acuna Alarcon Claudia Micaela PER 1880 – 4
32 WCM Machacca Mina Adamaris Luciana PER 1803 – 4
33 WCM Ramirez Luzon Franchesca DOM 1799 – 4
34 Rojas Salas Rihanna Irina PER 1774 – 4
35 WFM Raymundo Deycy Daniela GUA 1916 – 4
36 WCM Morales Flores Monserrat CHI 1950 – 4
37 WFM Castillo Pena Patricia Evarista DOM 1913 – 4
38 WCM Huayhuas Robles Laura Sofia PER 1806 – 4
39 WFM Karelina Polina BAH 1953 – 4
40 Chen Megan USA 1701 – 4
41 Lajo Timoteo Diana Carolina PER 1728 – 4
42 Napan Villamares Daiana Antuaneth PER 1541 – 4
43 WCM Toala Velez Dayra Jamileth ECU 1888 – 3.5
44 Jauregui Casas Lhuanna Khalezzy PER 1506 – 3.5
45 Urpeque Guzman Zayaka Isabel PER 1598 – 3
46 Torres Diaz Lucia Marcela PER 1709 – 3
47 De La Rosa Martinez Miguelina DOM 1795 – 3
48 Zuniga Ugarte Danya Alexia PER 1640 – 3
49 Andrade Guerreros Gabriela Jimena PER 1737 – 3
50 Cabral Sylvi ARU 1653 – 3
51 Meneses Vertiz Lara PER 1400 – 3
52 Rojas Raraz Jarely Katty PER 1464 – 2
53 WIM Borda Rodas Anapaola S. ARG 2243 – 2
54 Meneses Vertiz Luana PER 1466 – 2
55 Malekian Margaux Ann USA 0 – 1.5
