Asian Americans dominate 2021 US Chess Championships, Wesley So joins Bobby Fischer in successive-win club

Michelle De Pacina
·2 min read
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The 2021 U.S. Chess Championship winners are Asian Americans Grandmaster Wesley So and International Master Carissa Yip.

The Grandmaster: On Oct. 19, Filipino American Wesley So made history by winning back-to-back titles at the U.S. Chess Championship, reported MSN.

  • The grandmaster won again this year after reclaiming the U.S. Chess Championship in 2020 following his win for the first time in 2017.

  • So won the three-way rapid playoff tiebreak with a score of 2.0/2 against Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Sam Sevian at the St. Louis Chess Club tournament.

  • According to Chess News, So was one of two players to finish the tournament without a loss.

  • Wesley So earned the $50,000 first-place prize pot and his third national title. His historic back-to-back win puts him on the elite roster of successive tournament winners that include chess legend, Bobby Fischer.


International Master: Eighteen-year-old International Master Carissa Yip was crowned the U.S. Women's Champion finishing with an 8.5/11 score, reported Chess News.

  • After she became the youngest American woman in history to earn the title of International Master in February 2020, she went on to become the first woman to beat four former U.S. Women champions this year.

  • "It was a very pleasant surprise to find out I not only won first place but I was the first woman to beat four former U.S. Women champions,” Yip told 14 News. “I want to thank my family and friends for their support. This was an amazing win for me."

  • Yip took home the $25,000 first-place prize.

  • She is currently the highest-rated U20 woman player in the world, and is now included in the top 50 in the live women’s ratings list.


Featured Image via Saint Louis Chess Club (left), Saint Louis Chess Club (right)

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