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The 2026 US Junior Championship developed into a close contest between defending champion Andy Woodward and Abhimanyu Mishra. The ten-player round-robin at the Saint Louis Chess Club also included Tani Adewumi, Alice Lee, Brewington Hardaway, Evan Park, Bach Ngo, Nico Chasin, Kirk Ghazarian and Liam Putnam.
Mishra moved into clear first place during the early rounds. He defeated Lee in round two and continued to score consistently, while Woodward remained within reach after beating Ngo and drawing with Adewumi. Lee, competing in the open section for the first time, recovered from her defeat against Mishra by scoring her first victory in the event in round three.
Andy Woodward during his round-two game against Bach Ngo | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Woodward and Mishra drew their direct encounter in round six, leaving the latter ahead as the tournament entered its final phase. Mishra's sequence of draws then allowed the defending champion to close the gap. In round eight, Woodward scored the victory he needed to join Mishra in first place, while Adewumi was unable to take full advantage of his own opportunity to enter the title race.
The two frontrunners and clear rating favourites (both with 2638 Elo points, coincidentally) entered the last round level, but Woodward managed to win his final game, while Mishra was defeated by Ngo.
Woodward completed the tournament with 6½/9, remaining unbeaten with four victories and five draws, and retained the national title he had first won in 2025. Mishra finished second, while Nigerian-American rising star Adewumi took third place.
Woodward's victory also secured him a place in the 2026 US Championship.
The round-nine game between Abhimanyu Mishra and Bach Ngo (0-1) | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Tani Adewumi entered the event as the seventh seed and finished tied for second place with a 5½/9 score | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Alice Lee, 16, scored 4½/9 in her debut at the open section, gaining 10.7 rating points | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Rachael Li made the strongest start in the US Girls' Junior Championship. She defeated Rose Atwell in the opening round and followed up with another victory to take sole possession of first place. Defending champion Zoey Tang began with a draw against Megan Paragua, but then beat Iris Mou in round two to remain close to the leader.
Li extended her perfect start to four wins from four, converting a rook-and-pawn ending against Chloe Gaw in round four. Li finally suffered her first defeat in round six, losing to Mou, while Tang defeated Atwell in what was her fourth victory in six rounds.
The decisive encounter came in round seven, when Tang defeated Li with the black pieces. The result gave the defending champion a 1½-point advantage with two rounds remaining. Tang drew in the penultimate round to preserve her lead, while Li defeated Aimee Yang to enter the final round one point behind the leader, with chances of reaching a playoff.
Rachel Li | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Tang defeated Gaw in the final round to complete an unbeaten campaign with 7½/9, scoring six wins and three draws across the event, and successfully defended the title she had won in 2025. Li lost her final-round game against Irene Jiao Fei, allowing Rochelle Wu and Jasmine Zhixin Su to catch her in second place, each finishing one point behind the champion.
Tang's second successive US Girls' Junior title earned her qualification for the 2026 US Women's Championship.
Zoey Tang won the Championship for a second year in a row | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Rochelle Wu started the event with three losses in a row, drew her round-four game and bounced back with five wins in a row! | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Jasmine Zhixin Su | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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