Draft:US Senior Chess Championships
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Last edited by M kuhner (talk | contribs) 31 days ago. (Update) |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Chess |
| Location | Saint Louis Chess Club |
| Established | 2019 |
Number of tournaments | 7 |
| Format | Round robin |
| Most championships | Alexander Shabalov |
| Current champion | |
| Alexander Fishbein | |
The US Senior Chess Championship, initiated in 2019, is the national championship for US chessplayers 50 years and older. The US Senior Women's Championship, initiated in 2023, is the national championship for US female chessplayers 50 years and older.
Participants must be members of US Chess in good standing and must be registered with FIDE, the World Chess Federation, as USA flag players. Non-US citizens must show documentation of US residency. Players who have not played either a USCF or FIDE rated game in the last ten years are ineligible.[1]
US Senior Championship
[edit]This tournament is a ten player invitational event held in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Saint Louis Chess Club. It is a round-robin event of nine rounds. The winners of the previous year's US Senior Championship, US Senior Open, and John T. Irwin National Tournament of Senior State Champions, if otherwise eligible, receive automatic seeds. The sponsoring club may nominate a wild card. Other invitations are given based on USCF rating.[1]
| Year | Winner | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Alexander Shabalov | $50,000 |
| 2020 | Joel Benjamin | $50,000 |
| 2021 | Gregory Kaidanov | $50,000 |
| 2022 | Alexander Shabalov[2] | $75,000 |
| 2023 | Melikset Khachiyan[3] | $75,000 |
| 2024 | Vladimir Akopian[4] | $75,000 |
| 2025 | Alexander Fishbein[5] | $75,000 |
above is from Liquipedia, not useful, but they got it from somewhere
"New Champions Emerge: GM Andy Woodward, FM/WGM Zoey Tang, and GM Alex Fishbein Win in U.S. Junior, Junior Girls and Senior Championships in Saint Louis". BusinessWire. 2025-07-28. Retrieved 2026-06-30. a press release covering 2025 Senior
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Chess |
| Location | Berkeley, California (2023); Salt Lake City, Utah (2024-25) |
| Established | 2023 |
Number of tournaments | 3 |
| Format | Swiss system |
| Most championships | Natalia Tsodikova |
| Current champion | |
| Natalia Tsodikova | |
US Senior Women's Championship
[edit]This tournament began in 2023. It was held in Berkeley, California in 2023,[6] and in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2024-2025. It is projected to be held in St. Louis, Missouri in 2026. The winner of the previous year's event, if otherwise eligible, receives an automatic seed; otherwise, invitations are issued based on USCF rating.[1] The tournaments are Swiss system events of five rounds; the number of players has varied from year to year.
US Chess policy states that individuals self-identify their gender.[7] FIDE rules barring trans women from women's events[8] only apply to tournaments organized by FIDE.[citation needed]
| Year | Winner | Players |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Anjelina Belakovskaia[9] | |
| 2024 | Natalya Tsodikova[10] | 12 |
| 2025 | Natalya Tsodikova[11][12] |
Rationale for tournament
[edit]In a 2019 article advocating for creation of this tournament, chess journalist Alexey Root wrote that older women were the most underrepresented group in US Chess, and that a prestigious tournament for older women could entice strong players out of retirement as well as encouraging other women, including beginners, to take up competitive chess.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Invitational Information". Retrieved 2026-06-30.
- ^ {{cite web|url=https://new.uschess.org/news/round-9-announcers-earn-their-money%7Clast=King%7Cfirst=Alex%7Ctitle=Round 9: The Announcers Earn Their Money|website=US Chess|date=2022-07-17|access-date=2026-06-30}
- ^ Sethuraman, Sandeep (2023-07-25). "Round Nine: Mishra Joins Lee and Khachiyan as U.S. Champion". US Chess. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
- ^ Shlyakhtenko, Robert (2024-07-26). "Lee and Yoo Win Junior Championships, Kraai Clear Second in Senior". US Chess. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
- ^ Shlyakhtenko, Robert (2025-07-25). "Woodward, Tang, and Fishbein Win National Championships". US Chess. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
- ^ Kwok, Iris (November 3, 2023). "First-ever U.S. chess championship for women over 50 is happening in Berkeley". Berkeleyside. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- ^ "US Chess Transgender Policy". US Chess. 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- ^ "Transgender Registration Regulations". 2023-01-08. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- ^ Talamantez, Abel G (2023-11-06). "It's Belakovskaia in Berkeley! WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia is 2023 U.S. Senior Women's Champion". US Chess. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- ^ Root, Alexey (December 16, 2024). "Natalya Tsodikova Wins 2024 U.S. Senior Women's Championship With Round To Spare". USChess. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- ^ Root, Alexey (November 17, 2025). "2025 U.S. Senior Women's Championship: Tsodikova Wins Playoff for Title". USChess. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- ^ O'Neill, Julie (April 2025). "Forging a Tradition: Tsodikova wins U. S. Senior Women's Championship". Chess Life: 28–31 – via pubs.royle.com.
- ^ Root, Alexey (2019-03-06). "Golden Age of US Chess, for players ages 50 and older". ChessBase.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|date-accessed=ignored (help) - ^ Lang, JJ (October 27, 2023). "1st U.S. Senior Women's Championship Preview". USChess. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- ^ "Natalya Tsodikova". SparkChess. Retrieved April 27, 2026.