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Alice Lee (chess player)

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Alice Lee
Lee in 2023
Personal information
Born (2009-10-13) October 13, 2009 (age 16)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Chess career
CountryUnited States
TitleInternational Master (2023)
FIDE rating2453 (September 2026)
Peak rating2453 (September 2026)
Peak rankingWorld #24 (Women; September 2026)

Alice Teresa Lee (born October 13, 2009) is an American chess player who holds the International Master (IM) title and has one Grandmaster (GM) norm. She is the youngest American female, and the third youngest female worldwide, to achieve the IM title. Her tournament accomplishments include being a three-time Women’s American Cup champion, a three-time World Youth champion, a two-time Women’s Olympiad medalist, and the 2026 Women’s Speed Chess champion.

Early career

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Alice Lee started playing chess at age 6 in her school’s chess club, where her older brother was already a member.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

By age 8, she had already earned the title of US Chess Expert, and by age 10, she had become a US Chess National Master (NM).[2][7] She also had early success competing well above her age group: at age 9, she won the under-18 section of the 2019 National Girls Championships,[8][9] and at age 11, she won the under-18 girls section of the 2021 North American Youth Championships.[10]

U.S. Women's Championships

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Lee began competing in the U.S. Women's Championship in 2022 at age 12.[11][12][13] She finished in clear third place in both 2023 and 2024.[14][15]

Women's American Cup

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Lee has set multiple records at Women's American Cup, becoming both the youngest participant and the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. She won the title in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and also finished as runner-up twice.

At age 12, she placed second at the 2022 Women’s American Cup, recording a series of upset victories.[16][17] The following year, she again finished second at the 2023 Women’s American Cup.[18][19]

At age 14, she won the 2024 Women’s American Cup, earning the $40,000 first prize after 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.[20][21][22][23]

She successfully defended the title in 2025, winning every match she played and defeating WGM Tatev Abrahamyan in the Grand Final for the $49,000 first prize.[24][25] In 2026, she captured her third consecutive title by defeating IM Carissa Yip in the rapid Grand Final, earning another $49,000 first prize.[26][27]

U.S. Junior Championships

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Lee is a two-time U.S. Girls' Junior champion and holds the record as the tournament's youngest winner. She first competed in the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at age 10. At age 13, she won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship with a score of 7.5/9, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament's history.[28][29] At age 14, she successfully defended her title at the 2024 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship.[30][31]

She began competing in the open U.S. Junior Championship at age 16. In her 2026 debut, she scored 4.5/9, the highest score by a female participant since the Saint Louis Chess Club began hosting the event in 2010; she also recorded a performance rating of 2511, the highest ever recorded by a female participant in the tournament's history.[32]

World Youth Championships

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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).[33][34][35] She was also the winner of the online FIDE Youth Rapid World Cup (under-12 girls section in 2021).[36]

International team competitions

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Lee began representing the USA Women's Team in international competitions at age 13. So far, she has won three medals: two from the Chess Olympiads (a team bronze and an individual silver) and one from the World Team Championships (an individual gold).

At age 13, she played on the top board for Team USA at the 2023 World Women's Team Championship, where she won the individual gold medal with a score of 7.5/11. The U.S. women’s team achieved their best-ever finish in the tournament, placing 4th.[37][38]

At age 14, she competed in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, helping Team USA secure its first medal in 16 years by winning the bronze. With a score of 8/10, she also earned the individual silver medal on board 4.[39]

Online competitions

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In March 2026, Lee became the first female player to surpass a 3000 rating on Chess.com, reaching 3002 in bullet chess.[40]

She began competing in the Women's Speed Chess Championship (WSCC) at age 14. She is the youngest main-event participant, the youngest champion, and the first American to win the tournament.

In the 2024 and 2025 editions of the WSCC, she defeated IM Sara Khadem and GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, respectively, in the round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals.[41][42]

In the 2026 WSCC, she defeated former Women's World Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 9–7 in the round of 16.[43] She then defeated five-time and reigning Women's World Champion GM Ju Wenjun 9.5–3.5 in the quarterfinals.[44] In the semifinals, she defeated FM Anastasia Avramidou 19.5–4.5.[45] In the final, she defeated four-time Women's World Champion Hou Yifan 11.5–9.5 to win the title. At age 16, she became the youngest champion in the tournament's history, breaking the previous record held by Hou Yifan at age 27.[46]

Other notable tournaments

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Lee is the youngest participant in the history of the Cairns Cup, one of the world's strongest women's super-tournaments, and has finished runner-up twice.[47] At age 14, she made her debut in the 2024 Cairns Cup and scored 4/9.[48] At age 15, she finished clear second in the 2025 Cairns Cup with a score of 5.5/9 and a performance rating of 2572, earning $50,000 in prize money and finishing half a point short of her first GM norm.[49] At age 16, she again finished clear second in the 2026 Cairns Cup with a score of 6/9 and a performance rating of 2623, earning $50,000 in prize money and securing her first GM norm.[50]

FIDE titles and ratings

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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, she is one of three female players to earn the IM title at age 13, joining GMs Judit Polgár and Kateryna Lagno.[1][51]

At age 12, she earned her first IM norm and first Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm at the 2022 Southwest Class Championships.[52][53] At age 13, she earned a second IM norm and a second WGM norm at the 2023 1000GM St. Louis IM Norm Tournament.[4][54] Later that year, she crossed the 2400 live rating mark during the 2023 1000GM NYC IM Norm Tournament, fulfilling the rating requirement for the IM title. She then earned her final IM norm and final WGM norm at the 2023 Canadian Transnational Championship, thereby qualifying for both the IM and WGM titles.[4][51]

At age 16, she earned her first GM norm at the 2026 Cairns Cup[50][55], making her the fifth-youngest female player to earn a GM norm.[56]

She reached a peak FIDE rating of 2453 in September 2026 and a peak women’s world ranking of #24 in September 2026.

Notable games

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At the 2022 Southwest Class Championships, Lee defeated IM Viktor Gazik (2543) to clinch her first IM and WGM norms.[52][53]

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 quarterfinals, she drew GM Hikaru Nakamura (2775) (Gotham Knights).[1][57][58][59][60]

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

At the 2024 Women's American Cup, she defeated GM Irina Krush in the Grand Final to become one of the youngest players to win a major chess title in the United States.[61]

At the 2026 Cairns Cup, she defeated former Women's World Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk in round 1, reigning Women's World Cup champion GM Divya Deshmukh in round 2, former Women's World Championship challenger GM Humpy Koneru in round 6, and current Women's World Championship challenger GM Vaishali Rameshbabu in round 8. A performance rating of 2623 secured her first GM norm.

At the 2026 Women's Speed Chess Championship, she defeated five-time and reigning Women's World Champion GM Ju Wenjun 9.5–3.5 in the quarterfinals,[62] and four-time Women's World Champion GM Hou Yifan 11.5–9.5 in the final to win the title.[63]

Other chess activities and awards

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In July 2023, Lee was interviewed by Good Morning America after becoming the youngest American female IM.[64]

As a ChessKid.com ambassador,[65] she took part in various ChessKid.com and Chess.com activities, including hosting the Alice's Pawn Palace show,[66] playing online matches with other junior players,[67] competing in the Team Chess Battle,[68] and participating in Kids vs. Stars exhibitions in which she defeated GM Anish Giri.[69]

In May 2024, the Minnesota Senate passed a resolution to congratulate Alice Lee on her American Cup victory and extraordinary chess career.[70][71]

Education

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Lee attended Mounds View High School.[72] In a 2026 interview with American Chess Magazine, she said that she had been accepted to Yale University and planned to take a gap year before attending, during which she intended to focus on chess and pursue the GM title.[73]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Barden, Leonard (June 23, 2023). "Teenager Alice Lee sets new landmark for US women's chess after online feats". The Guardian. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Lee, Alice (July 14, 2021). "I'm 11 and the Youngest Chess Master in the 2021 U.S. Junior Championships'". Newsweek. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  3. ↑ Chalifoux, Mark (July 21, 2021). "Real Life 'Queen's Gambit'? An 11-Year-Old Prodigy Is Making Chess History". The Dad. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lawrence, AL (June 15, 2023). "Alice Lee Breaks Yip's Record, Becomes Youngest American Female IM". US Chess. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  5. ↑ Flores, Tatiana (May 28, 2023). "A Rising Chess Star: An interview with Alice Lee". ChessBase. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ Ki, Nicole (September 13, 2023). "North Oaks teen is youngest American girl to become chess international master". MPR News. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  7. ↑ Anna, Leonard (June 2, 2024). "Alice Lee, a 14-year-old North Oaks chess master, demonstrates discipline in the game of high strategy". Yahoo/Pioneer Press. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  8. ↑ US Chess (April 14, 2019). "Results Are In At The 16th Annual KCF All Girls Nationals". US Chess. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  9. ↑ Dynako, Betsy (April 16, 2019). "From Princess Leias To Queens Of Chicago: The 16th KCF All Girls Nationals". US Chess. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  10. ↑ Murphy, Liam (August 23, 2021). "Tani, Alice Win International Titles At North American Youth". ChessKid. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  11. ↑ Saint Louis Chess Club (October 5, 2022). "Alice Lee: Didn't Expect to Beat Ashritha – Round 1". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ Saint Louis Chess Club (October 13, 2022). "Alice Lee: Didn't Want to Lose on My Birthday – Round 8". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  13. ↑ Colodro, Carlos (October 20, 2022). "Fabiano Caruana is the 2022 U.S. champion". ChessBase. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  14. ↑ International Chess Federation (October 18, 2023). "2023 U.S. Championships: Fabiano Caruana and Carissa Yip win titles". FIDE. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  15. ↑ Lang, JJ (October 23, 2024). "Yip, Caruana Repeat as U.S. Champions". US Chess. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ Hansen, Carsten (April 29, 2022). "Caruana, Krush Crowned Champions: The American Cup Day 9". Chess.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  17. ↑ Saint Louis Chess Club (April 21, 2022). "Alice Lee: Still a Bit in Shock! - Day 2". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  18. ↑ Hansen, Carsten (March 26, 2023). "Krush Extends Queenship, So Dominates Nakamura In Tiebreaker". Chess.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  19. ↑ Saint Louis Chess Club (March 17, 2023). "Alice Lee: I have Chances Against Anybody – Day 1". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  20. ↑ Benchaabane, Nassim (March 22, 2024). "14-year-old chess prodigy wins elite tournament in St. Louis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  21. ↑ Chess.com (March 21, 2024). "14-Year-Old Alice Lee Wins Women's American Cup In Blitz Playoffs". Chess.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  22. ↑ Erdahl, Kent (March 25, 2024). "North Oaks' 14-year-old chess master adds elite title to impressive resume". KARE11. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  23. ↑ Saint Louis Chess Club (March 21, 2024). "WATCH: Alice Lee FINALLY Beats Irina Krush to Win the Cup! - Day 10". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Repeat Winners: International Master Alice Lee and Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura Win Women's and Open American Cup". Business Wire. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  25. ↑ Colodro, Carlos Alberto (March 24, 2025). "Lee and Nakamura claim 2025 American Cup titles". ChessBase. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  26. ↑ Levin, Anthony (March 12, 2026). "Alice Lee Wins The American Cup 3rd Year In A Row". Chess.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Wesley So Wins Open; Alice Lee Secures Third Consecutive Women's Title at 2026 American Cup". Saint Louis Chess Club. March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  28. ↑ Zong, Davis Jr. (July 24, 2023). "Lee and Khachiyan clinch titles, Junior Up for Grabs After Action-Packed Turn". US Chess. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  29. ↑ Hartmann, John (July 26, 2023). "Wednesday Workout: TV's Alice Lee!". US Chess. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  30. ↑ Doggers, Peter (July 26, 2024). "Akopian, Lee, Yoo Winners At U.S. National Championships". Chess.com. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  31. ↑ Saint Louis Chess Club (July 29, 2024). "IM Alice Lee, GM Christopher Yoo and GM Vladimir Akopian Crowned Winners in U.S. Girls, Junior and Senior Championships in Saint Louis". Business Wire. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  32. ↑ Lang, JJ (July 24, 2026). "Three Winners Crowned, One Playoff Looms in Junior and Senior Championships". US Chess. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  33. ↑ Shahade, Jennifer (September 1, 2019). "Newsflash: Liran Zhou And Alice Lee Earn Gold In China, Bronze For Li And Yan". US Chess. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  34. ↑ Lee, Alice (January 13, 2021). "My Adventurous Gold Medal Run". ChessKid. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  35. ↑ Lee, Alice (January 24, 2022). "2021 Super Final Champion: Third Time is a Charm!". ChessKid. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  36. ↑ Jerauld, Brian (September 2, 2021). "Christopher Yoo, Alice Lee Win 2021 FIDE Online Cadets Rapid World Cup". US Chess. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  37. ↑ Lang, JJ (September 12, 2023). "USA Finishes Fourth in FIDE Women's World Team Championship". US Chess. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  38. ↑ West, Vanessa (September 12, 2023). "Top Seeds Take Cinderella's Glass Slipper, Georgia Wins Gold Ahead of Kazakhstan". Chess.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  39. ↑ Lang, JJ (September 25, 2024). "Two Team, Three Individual Medals for Americans as India Takes Double Gold at 45th FIDE Olympiad". US Chess. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  40. ↑ Levin, Anthony (March 19, 2026). "16-Year-Old Alice Lee 1st Woman To Break 3000 Rating On Chess.com". Chess.com. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  41. ↑ McGourty, Colin (August 29, 2024). "Alice Lee, Vaishali Win Thrillers To Reach Quarterfinals". Chess.com. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  42. ↑ Levin, Anthony (August 7, 2025). "Lee Wins 5 In A Row Vs. Vaishali, Advances With Hou Yifan". Chess.com. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  43. ↑ Levin, Anthony (July 10, 2026). "Lee Edges Kosteniuk In Overtime, Lagno Eliminates Ambartsumova". Chess.com. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  44. ↑ Levin, Anthony (July 24, 2026). "Alice Lee Eliminates Women's World Champion With 6-Point Margin". Chess.com. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  45. ↑ McGourty, Colin (July 27, 2026). "Alice Lee Storms Into Women's Speed Chess Final 19.5-4.5". Chess.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  46. ↑ McGourty, Colin (August 7, 2026). "16-Year-Old Alice Lee Wins Women's Speed Chess Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  47. ↑ Lang, JJ (June 13, 2024). "Cairns Cup Begins Today in St. Louis". US Chess. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  48. ↑ Sands, David (June 25, 2024). "Lee impresses, but Tan takes the top prize in chess at hard-fought Cairns Cup". The Washington Times. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  49. ↑ Lang, JJ (June 20, 2025). "Carissa Yip, Alice Lee Notch Remarkable 1–2 Finish Atop Stacked Cairns Cup Cross Table". US Chess. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  50. 1 2 Levin, Anthony (August 19, 2026). "Wesley So 3-Peats Sinquefield Cup Champion; Tan Zhongyi Wins 2nd Cairns Cup". Chess.com. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  51. 1 2 West, Vanessa (June 15, 2023). "13-Year-Old Alice Lee Earns IM Title". Chess.com. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  52. 1 2 Root, Alexey (February 22, 2022). "Yoo, Javakhadze are Chess Winners, International Master Norm for Lee". ChessBase. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  53. 1 2 Klein, Mike (February 23, 2022). "WIM Alice Lee Earns First IM Norm!". ChessKid. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  54. ↑ Lang, JJ (February 10, 2023). "Norm Hunter: A Dozen Norms in Two Months". US Chess. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  55. ↑ "So, Tan big winners in elite St. Louis invitationals". The Washington Times. August 25, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  56. ↑ Barden, Leonard (August 28, 2026). "Chess: Praggnanandhaa takes $200,000 Grand Tour finals after So wins Sinquefield Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  57. ↑ West, Vanessa (March 4, 2023). "Adhiban Gains Perfect Score For Team MGD1, Lee Wins Upset Of Season For Arch Bishops". Chess.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  58. ↑ Pro Chess League (March 4, 2023). "13-year-old FM Alice Lee Celebrates Huge Win Against A Grandmaster". Chess Clips. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  59. ↑ Levin, Anthony (March 16, 2023). "Arch Bishops, Blitz Move To Playoffs; Alice Lee Upsets Super-GM, Caruana Goes 4/4". Chess.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  60. ↑ Pro Chess League (March 16, 2023). "13 year-old Alice Lee is thrilled After Beating Chess Super Grandmaster!". Chess.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  61. ↑ Saint Louis Chess Club (March 21, 2024). "The American Cup 2024: Day 10 – Rapid Grand Final & The American Cup Blitz". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  62. ↑ Chess.com (July 24, 2026). "Women's Speed Chess Championship 2026: World Champ Ju Wenjun v. Alice Lee! Quarterfinals". Chess.com. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  63. ↑ Chess.com (August 7, 2026). "WSCC 2026 FINAL: Hou Yifan vs. Alice Lee In A Clash Of Generations!!". Chess.com. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  64. ↑ ABC News (July 26, 2023). "Alice Lee celebrates International Chess Master title". ABC News. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  65. ↑ "Alice Lee - Young Chess Prodigies". ChessKid.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  66. ↑ ChessKid (December 4, 2020). "Girl's Play Chess Too! Alice's Pawn Palace – Episode 1". YouTube. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  67. ↑ West, Vanessa (August 31, 2023). "Alice Lee Prevails vs. Tani Adewumi With Stunning Bullet Comeback". Chess.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  68. ↑ Levin, Anthony (February 27, 2024). "Team Wesley So & Alice Lee Kill With Kindness In Quarterfinals". Chess.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  69. ↑ Levin, Anthony (February 25, 2025). "Giri Scores 1st-Ever Victory For 'Stars,' Drops Only Loss To Alice Lee". Chess.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  70. ↑ Minnesota Senate (May 1, 2024). "Minnesota Senate Resolution S.R. No. 96". Minnesota Senate. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  71. ↑ Gustafson, Heather (May 7, 2024). "Senator Heather Gustafson Presents Honorary Resolution to North Oaks Women's American Cup Chess Champion". Minnesota Senate DFL. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  72. ↑ McWright, Talia (March 26, 2025). "15-year-old chess master from North Oaks wins American Cup, again". Pioneer Press. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  73. ↑ Tang, Zoey (2026). "Interview with Alice Lee: Earning the GM Title, A Lifelong Goal". American Chess Magazine. No. 51. pp. 23, 25.
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