The nation’s top chess players are set to compete in America’s most prestigious events—the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship and the 2024 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship.
Hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC) at the World Chess Hall of Fame, each field will feature 12 players facing off over the board October 11-24 as they compete for a total purse of more than $400,000.
This year also celebrates the 10th anniversary of Saint Louis’ Congressional proclamation as the Chess Capital of America.
“The U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship are a testament to the incredible depth and talent of American chess – featuring nearly all of our country’s top players, including six graduates of the Kasparov Chess Foundation’s Young Stars program,” said Tony Rich, Technical Director of the STLCC. “It’s a privilege to watch the best players in the country battle it out, showcasing the sportsmanship and camaraderie that make our community so special.”
The U.S. Championship shifted from match play to a tournament format in 1936, paving the way for a new era in American chess. Past champions include luminaries of the game, including Bobby Fischer, Yasser Seirawan, and Hikaru Nakamura.
The STLCC hosted its first U.S. Championship in 2009 and has been honored to organize each edition since, awarding nearly $3 million in prizes and elevating the national championships.
The U.S. Championship is a tournament open to all players based on rating and represents the very best talent in the United States. With just 12 players, the U.S. Championship is the pinnacle of American chess.
This year’s event features a dynamic field, including defending champion and World No. 3 GM Fabiano Caruana, who has won the event three times, as well as GM Wesley So, a three-time champion.
2024 U.S. Chess Championship Field
1 GM Fabiano Caruana Saint Louis, MO 2840 2023 Us Champion
2 GM Wesley So Excelsior, MN 2796 Rating
3 GM Leinier Dominguez Saint Louis, MO 2785 Rating
4 GM Levon Aronian Saint Louis, MO 2771 Rating
5 GM Ray Robson Saint Louis, MO 2740 Rating
6 GM Hans Niemann Weston, CT 2735 Rating
7 GM Sam Sevian Holden, MA 2729 Rating
8 GM Sam Shankland Orinda, CA 2728 Rating
9 GM Grigoriy Oparin Columbia, MO 2702 Rating
10 GM Awonder Liang Madison, WI 2690 2024 Us Open Champion
11 GM Abhimanyu Mishra Englishtown, NJ 2663 Wildcard
12 GM Christopher Yoo Dublin, CA 2648 2024 Us Junior Champion
The U.S. Women’s Championship is the premier event in America featuring the very best women and girls of chess. Since its first U.S. Women’s Championship in 2009, the STLCC has awarded more than $1 million in prizes to U.S. Women’s Championship competitors.
This year’s event features America’s brightest female chess players, including GM Irina Krush, an eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion and two-time Women’s American Cup Champion, defending champion IM Carissa Yip, and rising star IM Alice Lee, the youngest in the field at just 14 years old.
2024 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship Field
1 GM Irina Krush Brooklyn, NY 2458 Rating
2 IM Carissa Yip Andover, MA 2450 2023 Us Women’s Champion
3 WGM Begim Tokhirjonova Saint Louis, MO 2436 Rating
4 IM Alice Lee North Oaks, MN 2417 2024 US Girls Champion
5 IM Anna Zatonskih Bochum, Germany 2368 Rating
6 IM Nazi Paikidze Las Vegas, NV 2364 Rating
7 WGM Tatev Abrahamyan Saint Louis, MO 2352 Rating
8 WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan Sunrise, FL 2339 Rating
9 FM Megan Lee Bellevue, WA 2335 Rating
10 WGM Jennifer Yu Ashburn, VA 2325 Rating
11 WGM Thalia Cervantes Saint Louis, MO 2320 Rating
12 FM Rose Atwell Valencia, CA 2311 Wildcard
The 2024 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship will consist of 11 rounds of classical chess in a round-robin format and will be streamed live daily at 1:20 p.m. CDT.
Coverage will feature play-by-play and analysis from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Cristian Chirila, and WGM Katerina Nemcova. Fans can follow all of the action live on uschesschamps.com and the STLCC’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
Visit uschesschamps.com for additional event information and click here to purchase tickets to the opening ceremony and here for the closing ceremony.
