Alice Lee (chess player)

Alice Lee (born in October 2009) is an American chess player who has qualified for the titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM) (pending certification by FIDE). She is the youngest American female player to achieve the IM title and the third youngest internationally. She is a three-time world youth champion, two-time American Cup runner-up, and #2 rated female player in the USA and the Americas (March 2023).

Alice Teresa Lee
CountryUnited States
BornOctober 13, 2009 (age 14)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
TitleInternational Master-elect (2023)
Woman Grandmaster-elect (2023)
FIDE rating2388 (September 2023)
Peak rating2393 (July 2023)

Early life and U.S. chess career

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][7]

She became a US Chess Expert at age 8 and a US Chess National Master (NM) at age 10.[8][9] At age 9, she won the under-18 section of the 2019 National Girls Championships.[10][11]

At age 13, her US Chess rating reached 2453 (April 2023), placing her among the top USA female players (all ages) and the top USA players for her age group (all genders).

Because of her talent and accomplishments, Lee received the prestigious Samford Fellowship in 2022 and 2023.[12]

U.S. Women's Championships

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.[13][14][15]

Lee took third place in the 2023 championship with 7.5 out of 11.

American Women's Cup

At age 12, Lee finished second place at the 2022 American Women's Cup.[16][17][18][19]

At age 13, she finished second place again at the 2023 American Women's Cup after tying two classical matches with GM Irina Krush and losing the rapid playoffs.[20][21][22][23]

World Youth Championships

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]

FIDE titles/ratings

At age 11, Lee earned the WIM title by winning the under-18 girls section of the 2021 North American Youth Championships.[28]

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.[29][30]

At age 13, she won a second IM norm and a second WGM norm at the 2023 1000GM St. Louis IM Norm Tournament.[6][31]

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 (pending certification by FIDE).[6][32]

Lee is the youngest ever female IM in the USA (at 13 years and 7 months old), breaking the previous record held by Carissa Yip (at 16 years and 1 month old).[6] Worldwide, Lee is one of three female players to earn the IM title at age 13, joining GMs Judit Polgár and Kateryna Lagno.[32]

At age 13, Lee's FIDE rating reached 2391 (March 2023), becoming the world's #58 rated female player (all ages), world's #3 rated junior female player (under 20), and the #2 rated female player in the USA and the Americas (all ages).

Notable games

At the 2022 Southwest Class Championships, Lee (2237) defeated IM Viktor Gazik (2543) to clinch her first IM and WGM norms.[29][30]

At the 2023 Pro Chess League, Lee (2284) 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).[33][34][35][36]

At the 2023 American Women's Cup, Lee (2362) defeated GM Irina Krush (2432) in the second classical game of the Championship Match.[20]

At the 2023 1000GM NYC IM Norm Tournament, Lee (2391) defeated GM Oliver Barbosa (2492) to cross the 2400 live rating mark for the first time.

At the 2023 Canadian Transnational Championship, Lee (2390) 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.

References
  1. 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.
  2. Manier, Miranda (8 October 2020). "10-year-old Minnesota girl puts the chess world in checkmate". KARE. 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. Chan, Ivana (21 February 2022). "Her News Interviews Alice Lee: 12-Year Old Woman International Master". Her Move Next. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  5. Lawrence, Al (31 December 2019). "Chess Kids Across The Board: Alice Lee". Chess Life Kids. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  6. Lawrence, AL (15 June 2023). "Alice Lee Breaks Yip's Record, Becomes Youngest American Female IM". US Chess. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  7. Flores, Tatiana (28 May 2023). "A Rising Chess Star: An interview with Alice Lee". ChessBase. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  8. Shahade, Jennifer (4 October 2018). "Rachael Li And Alice Lee, Both 8, Reach Expert Rating". US Chess. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  9. "Alice Lee". US Chess Championships. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  10. US Chess (14 April 2019). "Results Are In At The 16th Annual KCF All Girls Nationals". US Chess. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  11. Dynako, Betsy (16 April 2019). "From Princess Leias To Queens Of Chicago: The 16th KCF All Girls Nationals". US Chess. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  12. US Chess (31 May 2023). "2023 Samford Fellowship Winners Announced". US Chess. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  13. Colodro, Carlos (20 October 2022). "Fabiano Caruana is the 2022 U.S. champion". ChessBase. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. Peterson, Colter (28 April 2022). "Inaugural American Cup wraps up at St. Louis Chess Club". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  17. Barden, Leonard (29 April 2022). "Chess: Poland's Duda wins in Oslo while tired Carlsen fades at the finish". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  18. Saint Louis Chess Club (21 April 2022). "Alice Lee: Still a Bit in Shock! - Day 2". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  19. Saint Louis Chess Club (26 April 2022). "Alice Lee: Armageddon was "a Bit" Chaotic - Day 7". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  20. Hansen, Carsten (26 March 2023). "Krush Extends Queenship, So Dominates Nakamura In Tiebreaker". Chess.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  21. Rogers, Jack (21 March 2023). "Nakamura With Black Defeats Dominguez, So Overcomes Caruana". Chess.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  22. Hansen, Carsten (24 March 2023). "Third Game Is A Charm For Lee, So In Elimination Brackets". Chess.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  23. Saint Louis Chess Club (17 March 2023). "Alice Lee: I have Chances Against Anybody - Day 1". Saint Louis Chess Club. Retrieved 26 March 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. Murphy, Liam (23 August 2021). "Tani, Alice Win International Titles At North American Youth". ChessKid. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  29. Root, Alexey (22 February 2022). "Yoo, Javakhadze are Chess Winners, International Master Norm for Lee". ChessBase. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  30. Klein, Mike (23 February 2022). "WIM Alice Lee Earns First IM Norm!". ChessKid. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  31. Lang, JJ (10 February 2023). "Norm Hunter: A Dozen Norms in Two Months". US Chess. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  32. West, Vanessa (15 June 2023). "13-Year-Old Alice Lee Earns IM Title". Chess.com. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  33. 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.
  34. Pro Chess League (4 March 2023). "13-year-old FM Alice Lee Celebrates Huge Win Against A Grandmaster". Chess Clips. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  35. 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.
  36. Pro Chess League (16 March 2023). "13 year-old Alice Lee is thrilled After Beating Chess Super Grandmaster!". Chess.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
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