Alice Lee (chess player)

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Alice Lee
Alice Lee after winning the 2024 Women's American Cup
CountryUnited States
Born (2009-10-13) October 13, 2009 (age 14)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
TitleInternational Master (2023)
Woman Grandmaster (2023)
Peak rating2406 (November 2023)

Alice Lee (born October 13, 2009) is an American chess player with the titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She is the youngest American female, and third youngest in the world, to achieve the IM title. Her list of tournament victories includes being the 2024 Women's American Cup Champion, the 2023 US Girls' Junior Champion, and a three-time World Youth Champion.

Early career[edit]

Alice Lee began playing chess at age 6 in the school chess club where her older brother was already playing.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

She became a US Chess Expert at age 8 and a US Chess National Master (NM) at age 10.[2] At age 9, she won the under-18 section of the 2019 National Girls Championships.[7][8]

U.S. Women's Championships[edit]

At age 12, Lee debuted at the 2022 U.S. Women's Championship and finished tied for 5th place in a field of 14 players.[9][10][11]

At age 13, Lee took clear third place in the 2023 championship with 7.5 out of 11.[12]

Women's American Cup[edit]

Lee has set several records at the Women's American Cup, becoming both the youngest participant and the youngest winner of the tournament. She claimed the championship in 2024 and finished as the runner-up twice.

At age 12, she secured second place at the 2022 Women's American Cup, achieving a string of surprising victories.[13][14]

At age 13, she again finished second at the 2023 Women's American Cup. She tied two classical matches with GM Irina Krush before losing in the rapid playoffs.[15][16]

At age 14, she won the 2024 Women's American Cup by defeating GM Irina Krush in the Grand Final. Her victory places her alongside Bobby Fischer and Irina Krush as one of the youngest players to win a major chess title in the United States.[17][18][19][20][21]

U.S. Girls' Junior Championships[edit]

Lee started playing in the US Girls' Junior Championships since the age of 10. At age 13, she won the tournament in 2023 after finishing 7.5 out of 9.[22][23]

World Youth Championships[edit]

Lee is a three-time gold medalist at the World Youth Championships (under-10 girls section in 2019; under-12 girls section in 2020; under-12 girls section in 2021).[24][25][26] She was also the winner of the online FIDE Youth Rapid World Cup (under-12 girls section in 2021).[27]

World Women's Team Championships[edit]

At age 13, Lee played the top board for team USA at the 2023 World Women's Team Championship. She earned the individual gold medal on the top board by finishing 7.5 out of 11. The US Women's team had their best finish in this tournament, securing 4th place.[28][29]

FIDE titles/ratings[edit]

Lee is the youngest American female to achieve the IM title (at 13 years and 7 months old), breaking the previous record held by Carissa Yip (at 16 years and 1 month old).[4] Worldwide, Lee is one of three female players to earn the IM title at age 13, joining GMs Judit Polgár and Kateryna Lagno.[1][30]

At age 11, she earned the WIM title by winning the under-18 girls section of the 2021 North American Youth Championships.[31]

At age 12, she earned her FM title, first International Master (IM) norm, and first Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm at the 2022 Southwest Class Championships.[32][33]

At age 13, she won a second IM norm and a second WGM norm at the 2023 1000GM St. Louis IM Norm Tournament.[4][34]

At age 13, she crossed the 2400 live rating mark after the first two rounds during the 2023 1000GM NYC IM Norm Tournament, thereby fulfilling the rating requirement for the IM title.

At age 13, she won her final IM norm and final WGM norm at the 2023 Canadian Transnational Championship and hence qualified for both the IM and WGM titles.[4][30]

In November 2023, as Lee's FIDE rating reached 2406, she became the world's #46 rated female player and the #2 rated female player in the USA and the Americas.

Notable games[edit]

At the 2022 Southwest Class Championships, Lee defeated IM Viktor Gazik (2543) to clinch her first IM and WGM norms.[32][33]

At the 2023 Pro Chess League, she defeated GM Matthias Bluebaum (2661) (Berlin Bears) and GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (2700) (Croatia Bulldogs) to help St. Louis Arch Bishops reach the playoffs; in the quarter finals, she drew GM Hikaru Nakamura (2775) (Gotham Knights).[1][35][36][37][38]

At the 2023 Canadian Transnational Championship, she defeated two GMs, including GM Arturs Neiksans (2605), and drew four other GMs, including GM Lazaro Bruzon Batista (2617). A performance rating of 2531 secured her final IM and WGM norms.

At the 2024 Women's American Cup, she defeated GM Irina Krush (2421) in the Grand Final to become one of the youngest players to win a major chess title in the United States.[39]

Other chess activities and awards[edit]

In 2023, Lee was interviewed by Good Morning America after becoming the youngest American female IM.[40]

Since the age of 10, she has co-hosted the Chesskid.com show "Alice's Pawn Palace" with FM Mike Klein.[41]

As an ambassador for Chesskid.com, she took part in various Chesskid.com and Chess.com activities.[42][43][44]

She was chosen for the Samford Chess Fellowship in 2022 and 2023.[45]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Barden, Leonard (23 June 2023). "Teenager Alice Lee sets new landmark for US women's chess after online feats". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b Lee, Alice (14 July 2021). "I'm 11 and the Youngest Chess Master in the 2021 U.S. Junior Championships'". Newsweek. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  3. ^ Chalifoux, Mark (21 July 2021). "Real Life 'Queen's Gambit'? An 11-Year-Old Prodigy Is Making Chess History". The Dad. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Lawrence, AL (15 June 2023). "Alice Lee Breaks Yip's Record, Becomes Youngest American Female IM". US Chess. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  5. ^ Flores, Tatiana (28 May 2023). "A Rising Chess Star: An interview with Alice Lee". ChessBase. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  6. ^ Ki, Nicole (13 September 2023). "North Oaks teen is youngest American girl to become chess international master". MPR News. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  7. ^ US Chess (14 April 2019). "Results Are In At The 16th Annual KCF All Girls Nationals". US Chess. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  8. ^ Dynako, Betsy (16 April 2019). "From Princess Leias To Queens Of Chicago: The 16th KCF All Girls Nationals". US Chess. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  9. ^ Colodro, Carlos (20 October 2022). "Fabiano Caruana is the 2022 U.S. champion". ChessBase. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  10. ^ Saint Louis Chess Club (5 October 2022). "Alice Lee: Didn't Expect to Beat Ashritha - Round 1". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  11. ^ Saint Louis Chess Club (13 October 2022). "Alice Lee: Didn't Want to Lose on My Birthday - Round 8". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  12. ^ International Chess Federation (18 October 2023). "2023 U.S. Championships: Fabiano Caruana and Carissa Yip win titles". FIDE. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  13. ^ Hansen, Carsten (29 April 2022). "Caruana, Krush Crowned Champions: The American Cup Day 9". Chess.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  14. ^ Saint Louis Chess Club (21 April 2022). "Alice Lee: Still a Bit in Shock! - Day 2". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  15. ^ Hansen, Carsten (26 March 2023). "Krush Extends Queenship, So Dominates Nakamura In Tiebreaker". Chess.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  16. ^ Saint Louis Chess Club (17 March 2023). "Alice Lee: I have Chances Against Anybody - Day 1". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  17. ^ Benchaabane, Nassim (22 March 2024). "14-year-old chess prodigy wins elite tournament in St. Louis". Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  18. ^ Saint Louis Chess Club, Nassim (27 March 2024). "International Master Alice Lee and Grandmaster Levon Aronian Win American Cup Women's and Open Tournaments". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  19. ^ Chess.com (21 March 2024). "14-Year-Old Alice Lee Wins Women's American Cup In Blitz Playoffs". Chess.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  20. ^ Erdahl, Kent (25 March 2024). "North Oaks' 14-year-old chess master adds elite title to impressive resume". KARE11. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  21. ^ Saint Louis Chess Club (21 March 2024). "WATCH: Alice Lee FINALLY Beats Irina Krush to Win the Cup! - Day 10". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  22. ^ US Chess (24 July 2023). "Lee and Khachiyan clinch titles, Junior Up for Grabs After Action-Packed Turn". US Chess. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  23. ^ US Chess (26 July 2023). "Wednesday Workout: TV's Alice Lee!". US Chess. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  24. ^ Shahade, Jennifer (1 September 2019). "Newsflash: Liran Zhou And Alice Lee Earn Gold In China, Bronze For Li And Yan". US Chess. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  25. ^ Lee, Alice (13 January 2021). "My Adventurous Gold Medal Run". ChessKid. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  26. ^ Lee, Alice (24 January 2022). "2021 Super Final Champion: Third Time is a Charm!". ChessKid. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  27. ^ Jerauld, Brian (2 September 2021). "Christopher Yoo, Alice Lee Win 2021 FIDE Online Cadets Rapid World Cup". US Chess. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  28. ^ JJ Lang (12 September 2023). "USA Finishes Fourth in FIDE Women's World Team Championship". US Chess. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  29. ^ West, Vanessa (12 September 2023). "Top Seeds Take Cinderella's Glass Slipper, Georgia Wins Gold Ahead of Kazakhstan". Chess.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  30. ^ a b West, Vanessa (15 June 2023). "13-Year-Old Alice Lee Earns IM Title". Chess.com. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  31. ^ Murphy, Liam (23 August 2021). "Tani, Alice Win International Titles At North American Youth". ChessKid. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  32. ^ a b Root, Alexey (22 February 2022). "Yoo, Javakhadze are Chess Winners, International Master Norm for Lee". ChessBase. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  33. ^ a b Klein, Mike (23 February 2022). "WIM Alice Lee Earns First IM Norm!". ChessKid. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  34. ^ Lang, JJ (10 February 2023). "Norm Hunter: A Dozen Norms in Two Months". US Chess. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  35. ^ West, Vanessa (4 March 2023). "Adhiban Gains Perfect Score For Team MGD1, Lee Wins Upset Of Season For Arch Bishops". Chess.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  36. ^ Pro Chess League (4 March 2023). "13-year-old FM Alice Lee Celebrates Huge Win Against A Grandmaster". Chess Clips. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  37. ^ Levin, Anthony (16 March 2023). "Arch Bishops, Blitz Move To Playoffs; Alice Lee Upsets Super-GM, Caruana Goes 4/4". Chess.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  38. ^ Pro Chess League (16 March 2023). "13 year-old Alice Lee is thrilled After Beating Chess Super Grandmaster!". Chess.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  39. ^ Saint Louis Chess Club (21 March 2024). "The American Cup 2024: Day 10 - Rapid Grand Final & The American Cup Blitz". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  40. ^ ABC News (26 July 2023). "Alice Lee celebrates International Chess Master title". ABC News. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  41. ^ Chesskid (4 December 2020). "Girl's Play Chess Too! Alice's Pawn Palace - Episode 1". Chesskid. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  42. ^ West, Vanessa (31 August 2023). "Alice Lee Prevails vs. Tani Adewumi With Stunning Bullet Comeback". Chess.com. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  43. ^ West, Vanessa (18 November 2023). "ChessKid Stars Defeat Harvard". Chess.com. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  44. ^ Levin, Anthony (27 February 2024). "Team Wesley So & Alice Lee Kill With Kindness In Quarterfinals". Chess.com. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  45. ^ US Chess (31 May 2023). "2023 Samford Fellowship Winners Announced". US Chess. Retrieved 15 June 2023.

External links[edit]

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