Young Chess Prodigies Converge in Saint Louis for 2017 U.S. Junior Championship and U.S. Girls' Junior Championship

ST. LOUIS, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- America's best and brightest young chess players are coming to Saint Louis – the nation's Chess Capital – this summer as the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) will host the U.S. Junior Championship and, for the first time, the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship from July 8-17, 2017. Both events are the most prestigious chess championships in the country for junior players under the age of 21, providing an opportunity for chess' rising stars to compete in a top-level tournament and environment.

Players will compete for nearly $31,000 in prizes, and the winners of both tournaments will also receive an automatic invitation to the 2018 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship respectively, the nation's top invitational chess events. With the CCSCSL hosting both the U.S. Junior Championship and U.S. Girls' Junior Championship this year, Saint Louis is now home to the four national chess championships held in the United States (the U.S. Championship, U.S. Women's Championship, U.S. Junior Championship/U.S. Girls' Junior Championship).

"We are excited to host the U.S. Junior Championship in Saint Louis for the eighth consecutive year and are thrilled to welcome the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship to our club for the first time in history," said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL. "Both tournament fields will showcase some of the finest young minds in American chess, and their success is a testament to the bright future of the game. We look forward to the U.S. Junior Championship and U.S. Girls' Junior Championship creating lifelong memories and an unmatched professional experience for these 20 junior players."

U.S. Junior Championship – Meet the Field (USCF May Rating List):

• GM Ruifeng Li (2668) – Plano, Texas
• GM Akshat Chandra (2586) – Saint Louis, Mo.
• GM Kayden Troff (2555) – West Jordan, Utah
• IM Awonder Liang (2562) – Madison, Wis.
• IM Michael Brown (2589) – Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
• IM Andrew Tang (2571) – Plymouth, Minn.
• IM John Burke (2532) – Brick, N.J.
• NM Mika Brattain (2471) – Lexington, Mass.
• FM Josh Colas (2448) – White Plains, N.Y.
• NM Bovey Liu (2324) – Pearland, Texas

U.S. Girls' Junior Championship – Meet the Field (USCF May Rating List):

• WFM Carissa Yip (2354) – Andover, Mass.
• WCM Maggie Feng (2352) – Dublin, Ohio
• WIM Akshita Gorti (2342) – Chantilly, Va.
• WIM Annie Wang (2308) – La Canada, Calif.
• WFM Apurva Virkud (2273) – Troy, Mich.
• WIM Emily Nguyen (2241) – Austin, Texas
• WIM Ashritha Eswaran (2238) – San Jose, Calif.
• WIM Agata Bykovtsev (2231) – Goleta, Calif.
• WFM Rachel Ulrich (2210) – Appleton, Wis.
• WCM Thalia Cervantes (2187) – Webster Groves, Mo.

The nine-round, round-robin tournaments will begin on July 8 with opening rounds starting at 1:00 p.m. Each round of the 2017 U.S. Junior Championship and U.S. Girls' Junior Championship will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com and feature live commentary from WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, GM Robert Hess and GM Alejandro Ramirez.

Previous winners of the U.S. Junior Championship include GM Bobby Fischer, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Robert Hess, GM Ray Robson and GM Sam Shankland. The U.S. Girls' Junior Championship features a field composed of four young women who competed in the U.S. Women's Championship this spring (WIM Emily Nguyen, WFM Carissa Yip, WCM Maggie Feng and WFM Apurva Virkud), as WIM Emily Nguyen returns to defend her hard-earned title from a year ago.

For more information, visit www.uschesschamps.com.

About The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.

Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.

SOURCE Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

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