For the ninth consecutive year, the nation’s top 24 chess players will gather in Saint Louis to compete for the titles of U.S. Champion and U.S. Women’s Champion, which will be held simultaneously at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) from March 28 through April 10.

The U.S. Chess Championship field features a headline clash between the nation’s top-three players: Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So. These three players have been battling it out on their way to the top of not only American – but world – chess for the past few years.

Last year’s reigning champion, GM Caruana, is ranked #3 in the world, while GM Nakamura has won the U.S. Championships four times and recently won the prestigious Tradewise Gibraltar Open for the third time.

GM So has seen a recent rapid rise, breaking into the elite “2800 Club” and remaining unbeaten in his last 56 FIDE rated games. Another exciting contender is young talent GM Jeffery Xiong who, in 2016, became the first U.S. player to win the World Junior Championship in almost two decades.

The 2017 U.S. Women’s Championship field will feature U.S. Women’s reigning champion IM Nazi Paikidze and seven-time U.S. Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush, who will seek to win back the title. The Women’s Championship will once again see young talents like 15-year-old WIM Jennifer Yu and 13-year-old Carissa Yip.

“We are thrilled to once again be the epicenter of this country’s chess talent with the 2017 U.S. and U.S. Women’s Championships,” said Tony Rich, CCSCSL Executive Director.
“It’s a true honor to host our nation’s very best and brightest competitors, and we look forward to a fantastic tournament.”

The 2017 U.S. Championships will be streamed live daily on www.uschesschamps.com, featuring play-by-play and analysis from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade.

Live spectators may view the action in the tournament hall and enjoy additional grandmaster-led commentary on-site by Saint Louis University chess team coach GM Alejandro Ramirez and YouTube sensation, GM Ben Finegold.

Additional event, ticketing and hotel information may be found at www.uschesschamps.com.

US Championship:

1 GM Fabiano Caruana 2866 U.S. Champion
2 GM Wesley So 2841 Rating
3 GM Hikaru Nakamura 2821 Rating
4 GM Ray Robson 2719 Rating
5 GM Sam Shankland 2717 Rating
6 GM Jeffery Xiong 2715 U.S. Junior Champion
7 GM Gata Kamsky 2709 Rating
8 GM Alexander Onischuk 2694 Rating
9 GM Daniel Naroditsky 2690 Rating
10 GM Varuzhan Akobian 2680 Rating
11 GM Alexander Shabalov 2618 U.S. Open Champion
12 GM Yaroslav Zherebukh 2657 Wildcard

US Women’s Championship:

1 GM Irina Krush 2489 Rating
2 IM Anna Zatonskih 2487 Rating
3 IM Nazi Paikidze 2408 U.S. Women’s Champion
4 WGM Tatev Abrahamyan 2402 Rating
5 WGM Katerina Nemcova 2397 Rating
6 WGM Sabina Foisor 2324 Rating
7 WGM Anna Sharevich 2297 Rating
8 WFM Jennifer Yu 2283 Rating
9 WFM Apurva Virkud 2268 Rating
10 WIM Emily Nguyen 2250 U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion
11 WFM Carissa Yip 2234 Wildcard
12 NM Maggie Feng 2258 Wildcard