Kelsey Liu ’26 Earns Spot at US National Chess Championships
This summer, Kelsey Liu ‘26 defended her title as the girls state champion in chess, winning the Massachusetts Girls Championship with a perfect 5- score at the June competition in Boston. Her performance earned her a qualifying spot at the US Junior Championship hosted this month by the St. Louis Chess Club in St. Louis, MO. This invitational tournament features the top chess players in America under the age of 20, and Kelsey says she feels “Incredibly humbled and honored to be a part of this prestigious event.”
Kelsey placed 8th overall in the final standings, earning her $700 in prize money. She shared that “the tournament was really fun and I made some new friends there too. Although I didn’t do as well as I would have liked…I gained a great deal of experience and am determined to keep improving!”
Kelsey is currently ranked the #13 chess player among US girls under 21 and #16 for age 14 overall. She is pictured here with the world’s largest chess piece in front of the World Chess Hall of Fame!