Alice Lee at 17: Defend First, Then Win
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Rachael Li at 16: The Record Breaker Who Stopped Alice Lee's Streak
At nine, Rachael Li became the youngest female chess master in U.S. history. At 16, playing Black, she beat the tournament leader Alice Lee in Round 6 of the U.S. Women's Championship. Here is her story, and a move-by-move study of the win, where she missed two chances and still got a third.
The King That Went the Wrong Way: So Beats Robson to Lead the U.S. Championship
Wesley So beat Ray Robson in Round 7 of the 2026 U.S. Championship after 92 moves, the last 44 of them in an ending with bishops on the same color. Robson defended for 30 moves with about a minute on his clock, until one king move went to the wrong square. So now leads alone on 5 out of 7.
The Pawn That Waited 44 Moves: Megan Paragua at 13
Megan Paragua is 13, a double world cadet champion and a FIDE Master, and she has already beaten Carissa Yip and Nazi Paikidze at this year's U.S. Women's Championship. Here is her story, and a move-by-move study of her Round 5 win, where a pawn pushed on move 7 decided the game on move 51.
Atwell's Exchange Sacrifice Beats Defending Champion Yip
Rose Atwell beat defending champion Carissa Yip in Round 5 of the 2026 U.S. Women's Championship, pushing her h-pawn early, then giving up a rook on move 28 for the bishop Black had brought to the center and winning with her queen. The lesson: a sacrifice does not have to win material. It can buy an attack.
Woodward Beats Caruana to Join So in the Lead
Andy Woodward beat defending champion Fabiano Caruana in Round 5 of the 2026 U.S. Championship, building a passed pawn, breaking through with 41.f5 and then grabbing a knight Black had left without a guard. The lesson: when your opponent starts attacking out of desperation, look for what they left behind.
The $64,000 Prize Nobody Has Ever Won
The U.S. Championship offers $64,000 to any player who wins every game. It honors Bobby Fischer's 11-0 in 1963-64, the only perfect score in the tournament's history. Here is the story, and three lessons beginners can steal from it.
A Passed Pawn on the Seventh Rank Can Beat a Rook: Alice Lee's Endgame Lesson
Alice Lee was worse against Jennifer Yu in Round 2 of the 2026 U.S. Women's Championship. Then a passed pawn, an exchange sacrifice and a promotion turned the game around. The lesson: a passed pawn on the seventh rank can be worth more than a rook when it is supported and the queens are off.
Lee Takes the Lead: A Missed Tactic and an 85-Move Grind
Alice Lee beat Megan Paragua in Round 4 of the 2026 U.S. Women's Championship to take the sole lead, after Black missed a winning tactic and Lee converted a long rook-against-bishop endgame. The lesson: in the endgame, your king is a fighting piece.
Niemann's Queen Sacrifice Shakes Up Round 4
Hans Niemann gave up the queen to clear the way for a passed pawn and beat Abhimanyu Mishra in Round 4 of the 2026 U.S. Championship. The lesson: push your passed pawns, and the tactics will find you.
A Pawn on e6 and a Rook on the Seventh: Abrahamyan Beats Yip in Round 3
Tatev Abrahamyan wedged a pawn deep into Carissa Yip's position, put a rook on the seventh rank and hunted down the black king for her first win at the U.S. Women's Championship. Yip, the winner of the last three titles, has half a point from three games.
"Chess holds its master in its own bonds, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer."
— Albert Einstein