2024 American Cup - The Fields
THE FIELD
GM Fabiano Caruana
Name: Fabiano Caruana
Age: 31
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2757 (January 2024)
2023 marked a glorious return to form for Fabiano Caruana. Throughout the year, Caruana firmly reclaimed his ranking as World #2 and amassed over $600,000 in tournament winnings along the way. Caruana’s victories in 2023 joined his extensive list of achievements, which includes a record-shattering performance at the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, challenging Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship in 2018, and attaining the third highest FIDE rating of all time. Caruana aims to continue his forward momentum in 2024 with aspirations of winning both the American Cup and the all-important Candidates Tournament in April.
GM Wesley So
Name: Wesley So
Age: 30
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2757 (January 2024)
Since joining the U.S. federation in 2014, Wesley So has made enormous contributions to American chess. In addition to earning three U.S. Championship titles, So has proven to be an invaluable member of the U.S. Olympiad team, bringing home both an individual and team gold medal in 2016. Internationally, So can count two Grand Chess Tour Championships, a Fischer Random World Championship, and a $100,000 victory at the inaugural Millionaire Chess Open among his many achievements. As last year’s runner-up, So is one of the favorites to battle his way to first place in the 2024 American Cup.
GM Leinier Dominguez
Name: Leinier Dominguez
Age: 40
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2757 (January 2024)
An American since 2018, Leinier Dominguez originally hails from Havana, Cuba. Distinguishing yourself in the country of the legendary José Raúl Capablanca is a daunting task, but Dominguez quickly rose to fame thanks to his outstanding results. Dominguez is a five-time Cuban champion and brought a world title back to Cuba as the 2008 World Blitz Champion. Since joining the United States, Dominguez has continued to play his rock-solid brand of chess racking up impressive undefeated results. Amongst his many notable achievements as an American, Dominguez finished second in multiple U.S. Championships, placed second at the 2023 Sinquefield Cup, and decisively won the 2021 Champions Showdown: Chess9LX event.
GM Levon Aronian
Name: Levon Aronian
Age: 41
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2725 (January 2024)
Levon “the Armenian Lion” Aronian is one of the best chess players of this millennium. Earned for his ferocious and creative style of play, Aronian’s “Armenian Lion” moniker draws well-deserved parallels to his birth country’s famed world champion, Tigran “Iron Tiger” Petrosian. Throughout his illustrious career, Aronian has reached nearly every chess pinnacle in existence, having been crowned World Blitz Champion, World Rapid Champion, 2-time World Chess960 Champion, 3-time leader of a gold medal Olympiad team, and 2-time World Cup Champion. An American since 2021, the lion now aims to claw his way to the title of 2024 American Cup Champion.
GM Sam Shankland
Name: Sam Shankland
Age: 32
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2674 (January 2024)
Originally from Berkely, California, Sam Shankland etched his name into U.S. chess history with a historic victory at the star-studded 2018 U.S. Championship. Shankland is a regular member of the U.S. Olympiad team, winning an individual gold medal in 2014 and contributing to a team gold medal in 2016. Outside of tournament play, Shankland is a renowned chess author. Shankland views the writing process as training, noting that his breakthrough performance in 2018 came soon after working on his first book, Small Steps to Giant Improvement. While not a pre-tournament favorite, Sam is capable of upsetting anyone.
GM Ray Robson
Name: Ray Robson
Age: 29
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2696 (January 2024)
Ray Robson has excelled at chess since early childhood, earning the GM title at a then record-breaking 14 years old. Following numerous national scholastic titles, Robson earned a collegiate scholarship as part of the renowned Webster University chess team. Despite his early achievements, Robson only recently reached his career peak by breaking the 2700 barrier just last year. Outside of tournament play, Robson is a world-class puzzle solver, resoundingly winning all five editions of chess.com’s Puzzle Battle World Championships.
GM Sam Sevian
Name: Sam Sevian
Age: 23
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2697 (January 2024)
At just 23 years old, Sam Sevian has already earned his place among the top U.S. chess players. During his meteoric rise to the top, Sevian shattered numerous records including those for the youngest Expert, National Master, International Master, and eventually Grandmaster in U.S. Chess History. Sevian continues to rise through the ranks and defeated many of this year’s American Cup competitors while storming to tournament victory at the 2023 Champions Showdown: Chess9LX. It was a breakthrough performance that portends more great things for this chess gladiator.
GM Grigoriy Oparin
Name: Grigoriy Oparin
Age: 26
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2664 (January 2024)
Grigoriy Oparin joins his first American Cup since switching to the U.S. federation in 2022. As the highest rated member of the University of Missouri chess team, he recently led the team to victory at the 2024 Pan-American Championships. Over the past few years, Oparin has shown that he belongs on the world stage. He finished third at the 2021 FIDE Grand Swiss and competed in other world-class events such as the 2021 FIDE World Cup and 2022 FIDE Grand Prix. As a relative newcomer to the U.S. tournament circuit, look for Oparin to be this tournament’s dark horse in a field of U.S. Chess legends.
GM Irina Krush
Name: Irina Krush
Age: 40
Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2421 (January 2024)
As the first and only American woman to earn the Grandmaster title, Irina Krush is a true pioneer in the chess world. Krush has been U.S. Women’s Champion an astonishing eight times, including a consecutive four-year streak where she held and defended the title. In the previous editions of the American Cup, Krush proved that she remains the competitor to beat, defeating the young Alice Lee in the finals on both occasions. Off the board, Krush has worked to promote chess through numerous media appearances, including a 2016 appearance on the Steve Harvey show which featured Hillary Clinton and highlighted Krush’s career.
IM Alice Lee
Name: Alice Lee
Age: 14
Title: International Master
Rating: 2379 (January 2024)
Only three female players in chess history have achieved the IM title before age 14. The first is the legendary Judit Polgár, the second is the elite GM Kateryna Lagno, and the third is Alice Lee. A three-time World Youth Champion, Alice is one of the brightest stars in American Chess as well as the world. Lee has excelled in both previous American Cups, winning every single match except against GM Irina Krush. Krush went on to win both previous editions of the tournament, but undoubtedly, Alice will look to earn her first title as American Cup Champion in 2024.
WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova
Name: Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova
Age: 24
Title: Woman Grandmaster
Rating: 2370 (January 2024)
Originally from Uzbekistan, Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova’s chess career began with early inspiration from her two older sisters. While both are phenomenal chess players, Tokhirjonova’s eldest sister, Nafisa Muminova, made history by earning the first WGM title in Uzbekistan. Not to be outdone, Tokhirjonova is now the highest rated player in her family and has been testing her mettle against the best players in the United States since 2021. Tokhirjonova currently lends her talents to the University of Missouri as the highest rated female player on the renowned chess team. Nearly winning the U.S. Women’s Championship on two occasions, look for Gulrukhbegim (aka “Begim”) to be a top contender in this year’s American Cup.
IM Anna Zatonskih
Name: Anna Zatonskih
Age: 45
Title: International Master
Rating: 2347 (January 2024)
Anna Zatonskih has been at the apex of women’s chess in America since joining the U.S. federation in 2004. For years, Zatonskih appeared to be the only player capable of stopping Irina Krush in national championships, besting Krush and the rest of the field four times to earn the title of U.S. Women’s Champion in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011. More recently, Zatonskih shocked the chess world with an incredible underdog victory at the 2023 Cairns Cup, coming out ahead of the world’s top women players. Here in the American Cup, Zatonskih looks to continue her success in Saint Louis against both longtime rivals and the rising generation of female chess players.
IM Nazí Paikidze
Name:IM Nazí Paikidze
Age: 30
Title: International Master
Rating: 2319 (January 2024)
Originally from Tbilisi, Georgia, Nazí Paikidze has excelled at chess all over the world. While in Georgia, Paikidze earned a reputation as an international prodigy, winning European Youth Championship titles for under age 10 and under age 12. Following a move with her family to Moscow, Paikidze continued her training and went on to win two more European Youth titles, two World Youth titles, and a number of tournament victories such as the Moscow Women’s Open and Moscow Women’s Championship. In 2012, Paikidze set her sights on the United States, attending the University of Maryland Baltimore County and competing on the collegiate team. Now, Paikidze represents the U.S. Federation and is a two-time U.S. Women’s Champion.
WGM Tatev Abrahamyan
Name: Tatev Abrahamyan
Age: 36
Title: Woman Grandmaster
Rating: 2311 (anuary 2024)
Tatev Abrahamyan has been a fixture of American chess since childhood. As a prodigy, Abrahamyan tied for first at the age of 16 in the 2005 U.S. Women’s Championships, coming in second following a playoff. Tatev has competed in every championship since, scoring multiple second-place finishes. In last year’s U.S. Women’s Championship, Abrahamyan defeated this tournament’s top two seeds, proving that she can upset anyone in this field.
WGM Jennifer Yu
Name: WGM Jennifer Yu
Age: 22
Title: Woman Grandmaster
Rating: 2283 (January 2024)
In 1964, Bobby Fischer won 11 out of 11 games to win the U.S. Championship. Since then, the only person to come close to replicating that 11/11 is Jennifer Yu with an outstanding performance in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Championship. Yu won 9 of 11 games, drawing the remaining two with the best performance of the modern era in the U.S. Women’s Championships. Since 2019, Yu has continued to impress, winning the title again in 2022 while attending Harvard University. Known for her fighting spirit and dynamic games, look for Jennifer Yu to take the fight to her opponents in her American Cup debut.
FM Zoey Tang
Name: Zoey Tang
Age: 15
Title: FIDE Master
Rating: 2280 (January 2024)
Zoey Tang is one of the best junior girls in the world. Currently ranked #20, on FIDE’s top 100 Girls List, Tang continues to improve year after year. In 2023, Tang reached her peak rating of 2348, earning the FIDE Master title along the way. This year’s American Cup is Tang’s first opportunity to prove she has what it takes to defeat the best women in the country.
