2023 American Cup

Sam Sevian is a former U.S. prodigy and previous U12 World Champion. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 13 years and 10 months, breaking the record for the youngest American player to earn the GM title. Sevian also broke records on his way to becoming the youngest Expert, National Master, and International Master in U.S. Chess history. In 2017, Sevian won the American Continental Chess Championship, the youngest ever to do so at the age of 16.

Ray Robson is a former U.S. prodigy and one of the most recent members of the “2700” club, having crossed the barrier for the first time in November 2022. Last year’s fourth place finisher, Robson’s other career highlights include finishing second in the 2015 U.S. Championship, as well as second in the 2014 Millionaire Chess Open. Born in Guam, Robson lived in Florida for most of his childhood before attending Webster University in 2012 under a chess scholarship.

Sam Shankland is a former U.S. Champion (2018) and World Junior Champion (2010). Originally from Berkeley, California, Shankland is also a multiple-time U.S. Olympic team member, winning an individual gold medal in 2014 and a historic team gold in 2016. In 2021, Shankland reached the quarterfinals of the FIDE World Cup, qualifying him for the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix. Shankland has written three books thus far, Small Steps to Giant Improvement, Small Steps 2 Success, and the recent Grandmaster Training Camp 1 - Calculation!, published in February 2023.

Levon Aronian is an Armenian-American Grandmaster who switched federations to the United States in 2021. Last year’s runner-up, Aronian’s notable tournament achievements include winning the 2005 & 2017 FIDE World Cup, the 2006 & 2007 Chess960 Championship, the 2008 World Rapid Championship, and the 2009 World Blitz Championship. Originally from Yerevan, Aronian famously led Armenia to three gold medal finishes in the 2006, 2008, and 2012 Chess Olympiads.

Leinier Dominguez is a five-time Cuban champion and current American No 4. Having switched federations to the United States in 2018, he’s had a string of notable results, including a third place finish in last year’s American Cup, as well as second place finishes in the 2019 and 2022 U.S. Championships. Dominguez was also the winner of the 2021 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX, and in 2008 he became the World Blitz Champion.

Wesley So is a three-time U.S. Champion and two-time Grand Chess Tour champion. In 2008, he became the then youngest player ever to cross a FIDE rating of 2600, and in 2019 he became the World Fischer Random Chess Champion. So’s tournament accomplishments include winning both individual and team gold in the 2016 Chess Olympiad, as well as winning the 2016 Sinquefield Cup, 2016 London Chess Classic, and the 2017 Tata Steel Masters.

Fabiano Caruana is the current World No. 7 and last year’s winner of the 2022 American Cup. Along with achieving the third highest FIDE rating of all-time (2844), Caruana’s greatest accomplishments include his incredible 8.5/10 score in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, as well as his win in the 2018 Candidates Tournament, which earned him the right to challenge World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the 2018 World Championship Match. Nowadays, Caruana currently hosts the C-Squared Podcast along with GM Cristian Chirila.

Hikaru Nakamura is a five-time U.S. Champion, current World No. 6, and reigning World Fischer Random Chess Champion. In addition to his notable tournament victories, including the 2011 Tata Steel Masters and the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix, Nakamura is also known for his blitz and rapid skills, having won five straight Chess.com Speed Chess Championships. With a huge online following, Nakamura has become one of the most popular chess streamers in the world, with over 1.6 million followers on both his Twitch & YouTube channels.

Alice Lee is a three-time World Youth Champion and one of the top female juniors in the world. Despite being the youngest player in the field, Lee was the runner-up finisher in the 2022 Women’s American Cup, losing to top seed GM Irina Krush in the finals. In 2022 Lee was awarded the Samford Fellowship and played in her first U.S. Women’s Championship, finishing tied for 5th place. Recently Lee scored 7.5/9 in the 1000GM Norm Invitational in Saint Louis, earning her second IM norm.