RIX sponsors chess prodigy at the international tournaments this summer.*
*Edited June 10, 2024. Go to section
Rachael Li, the youngest chess master in America, will compete in several chess tournaments this June and July, starting with the International Chess Festival National Open in Las Vegas, NV. RIX will sponsor, support, and cheer her on through this intense competition.
Rachael began learning chess at a very young age and rapidly excelled. “I don’t think anybody introduced me [to the game],” Rachael said. “I just watched my brother and my dad play, and all of a sudden I wanted to [play].” She competed in her first World Open at the age of 41. By age 9, she was certified as America’s youngest female chess master, a record that has yet to be beaten2.
The grim days of COVID-19 put competing on hold for about three years, but now, at 14 years old, Rachael is back in action. In the pre-event for the International Chess Festival on June 4th, 1000GM Las Vegas Norm 2024 IM, she secured her second Woman International Master (WIM) Norm*.
From June 5 to 9, Rachael will take pawns, check kings, and rock the RIX brand. Good luck! We will post the story as it unfolds, so please make sure you follow us on social media.
The Results Are In
After encountering some average performances in the 3rd round in the Open Section of the Las Vegas International Chess Festival, Rachael decided to enter another section reserved for those 23 and younger. In this section, she placed 30/100. Congratulations Rachael! We hope you'll do even better in July!
*A norm is a high level of performance in a chess tournament3, and for a WIM, the threshold must be a rating greater than 22504. Not an easy thing to do. Three norms will grant you a WIM title.
1 Plano Magazine, “Young Chess Standouts Hope to Make Plano Proud in St. Louis Tournaments”, Stephen Hunt, July 9, 2019.
2 Texas Chess Association, “Rachel Li, America’s Youngest Female Master Ever”, Jim Hollingsworth, November 24, 2019.
3 Wikipedia, “Norm (chess)”.
4 Wikipedia, “FIDE titles”.
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