There were some late-round dramatics and down-to-the-wire battles as the 2025 U.S. junior, junior girls and senior championships wrapped up last week at the St. Louis Chess Club. In all three events, the margin of victory was a mere half-point.
Seventeen-year-old Oregon WGM Zoey Tang claimed her first U.S. junior girls’ title, edging FM Megan Paragua as the two both won their final-round games. Texas GM Andy Woodward, 15, is the new U.S. junior champ, edging GMs Abhimanyu Mishra and Brewington Hardaway.
Woodward and Tang thus secured invitations to next year’s U.S. national and U.S women’s championship tournaments, likely the first of many such appearances in the country’s premier title events.
And GM Alex Fishbein pulled off the biggest surprise in St. Louis, capturing his first U.S. senior crown despite entering the event seeded ninth in the highly accomplished 10-player field. The 57-year-old Fishbein started with two losses in his first four games, but rallied with a late surge that included a final-round win over GM Joel Benjamin. Fishbein then defeated defending U.S. senior champ GM Vladimir Akopian and past champ GM Alexander Shabalov in a rapid playoff.
For many players, “know your endgames” has long been the chess equivalent of “eat your vegetables” or “practice your scales” — a necessary chore rather than a positive pleasure. But endgame skill proved to be the critical factor in some of the key games in St. Louis. Benjamin is a noted author on endings, but could not hold off Fishbein in the crunch in severe time trouble in their Round 9 battle.
Out of an English Opening after 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kxe1, Benjamin’s isolated and blocked c-pawn looms as a major liability, and after 32. Ne4+ Bxe4 33. Kxe4, White’s long-range bishop also proves more valuable than Black’s more limited knight. Time pressure and the subtle finesses of endgame play clearly played a role in the game’s tense climax.
Thus: 33…Nb6?! (missing a tactical trick with 33…a5!, when Black can hold off the White king’s advance after 34. Kf5 (bxa5?? Nc5+) axb4 35. axb4 Nf8) 34. Kf5 Ke7 35. a4 Nc8 36. Bd1 Nd6+ 37. Kg6 Kf8 38. Bf3 Nc4 39. Kf5 Ne5 40. Ke6? Ke8? (both players misjudge the pawn ending after 40…Nxf3! 41. gxf3 h5! — White’s king can never run to the abandoned queenside as Benjamin can quickly push through a passed pawn on the other flank) 41. Kd6? Kd8? 42. Be2!. The bishop is finally moved to safety, the time control has passed, and Black is effectively busted. After 42…Ng6 43. g3 Ne7 44. Bc4, Black resigns as any knight move loses the c-pawn and any pawn advances just create new targets for the White king.
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With Paragua winning her final game, Tang knew she needed a full point against Connecticut IM Jasmine Su to avoid a playoff. Again, it’s a tricky, trappy endgame — this time with rooks and bishops — and again both players struggle to find the right path.
Tang as Black missed a good chance at putaway — 30…Qe4!, instead of the game’s 30…Qf3?!, would have allowed Black to seize control of the position’s critical open file after 31. Qxe4 Bxe4 32. Rc1 Bxb1 33. Rxb1 Rc8 — and White is still putting up a good fight through 47. b3 Ke5 (Bxb3?? 48. Kc3+) 48. Kc3 Rb8 (see diagram), when 49. Ra2! would have preserved excellent drawing chances in lines such as 49…f4 50. gxf4+ Kxf4 51. Rd2 Rc8+ 52. Kb2 Be4 53. Bh5 Kg3 54. Bg4.
Instead, Black seizes more ground on 49. Re2+? Be4 50. b4 Rc8+ 51. Kb2 Kd4. Su’s desperate struggle to hold save her b-pawn comes up short after 56. Rc2 Rb8 57. Be2+ (sadly for White, 57. Ka3 is met by the clever deflection 57…Bf3!, winning) Ke3 58. Bh5 (Ka3 again does not work: 58…Ra8+ 59. Kb2 Ra2+ 60. Kb1 Rxc2 61. Rxc2 Kxe2) Rxb4+, and the pawn finally falls.
Black seizes the chance to trade rooks and after 61. Bg6 f4 62. gxf4 gxf4 63. Kd1 f3, White resigns; even giving up the White bishop for the passed pawn can’t save Su, as Black’s bishop covers the h1 queening square and negates any last drawing tricks.
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With a 1-point lead going into the final round, Woodward needed over a very correct draw with GM Kirk Ghazarian to secure his title. He secured that favorable position with a nice attacking win against FM Evan Park from the Black side of a Najdorf Sicilian in the previous round.
In a sharp position, Woodward’s sharp 15. b3 Bb7 16. Bb2!? (16. Ba3! poses more problems for Black) d5!? is provocative but does manage to prevent White from castling after 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Bh4+. Black will repeatedly decline White’s offers of a queen trade as he tries to get at the White king now stranded in the center.
The strategy pays off on 21. Qe4 Qd6 22. Ke2?! (trying to unscramble his position, but the White king is moving in the wrong direction; better was 22. Qd3 Qc7 23. Qc4, again seeking to get the queens off the board) 0-0 23. Nc4 Qc5 24. Ne3 Rfc8 25. Rhd1 Nf6!, offering White a pawn he would much rather not take, as the e-file now opens to the White king.
There are too many open lines and not enough White defenders in the final assault: 27. Qd6 (Rd6 Qa8! 28. Qf4 Ne4 29. Rd4 Re8 is overwhelming) Qe4 (pinning the knight and threatening both 28…Rxc2+ and 29…Nxg4) Qf4 29. Rh1 Qf2+, and White resigned. It’s hopeless after 30. Kd1 Qf3+ 31. Kd2 Ne4+ 32. Kc1 Qxh1+.
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
Fishbein-Benjamin, U.S. 2025 Senior Championship, St. Louis, July 2025
1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. e4 Ne7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 c5 7. a3 Ba5 8. cxd5 cxd4 9. Nxd4 exd5 10. O-O Bb6 11. Be3 Nbc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bxb6 Qxb6 14. Qc2 h6 15. Rac1 Rb8 16. Na4 Qb3 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Qxb3 Rxb3 19. Rfd1 Nb6 20. Bc2 Rb5 21. b4 Re5 22. Bb3 Rfe8 23. Nc5 Re2 24. Kf1 Bf5 25. Re1 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kxe1 Kf8 28. Kd2 Ke7 29. Ke3 f6 30. Kd4 Kd6 31. h4 Nd7 32. Ne4+ Bxe4 33. Kxe4 Nb6 34. Kf5 Ke7 35. a4 Nc8 36. Bd1 Nd6+ 37. Kg6 Kf8 38. Bf3 Nc4 39. Kf5 Ne5 40. Ke6 Ke8 41. Kd6 Kd8 42. Be2 Ng6 43. g3 Ne7 44. Bc4 Black resigns.
Su-Tang, U.S. 2025 Junior Girls Championship, St. Louis, July 2025
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 e6 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nf6 8.Nc3 Qd8 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Bd6 11. Rc1 O-O 12. h3 h6 13. Bd3 Nb4 14. Bb1 b5 15.Ne5 Bb7 16. Qd2 Re8 17. Rfe1 Bf8 18. a3 Nbd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. f3 Rc8 21. Qd3Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Bd6 23. Ng4 Nxg4 24. fxg4 Qh4 25. Bf2 Qg5 26. Be3 Qh4 27. Bf2 Bh2+ 28. Kxh2 Qxf2 29. Rc2 Qf4+ 30. g3 Qf3 31. Qxf3 Bxf3 32. Rc3 Bd5 33. Kg1 g5 34. Kf2 b4 35. axb4 Rb8 36. Bd3 Rxb4 37. Bxa6 Rxd4 38. Be2 Rb4 39. Rc2 Rb3 40.Rd2 Kg7 41. Bd1 Rb4 42. Ke3 Kf6 43. Kd3 Ke5 44. Re2+ Kd6 45. Rd2 f5 46. gxf5 exf5 47. b3 Ke5 48. Kc3 Rb8 49. Re2+ Be4 50. b4 Rc8+ 51. Kb3 Kd4 52. Rd2+ Ke3 53. Re2+ Kd3 54. Rh2 Bd5+ 55. Kb2 Ra8 56. Rc2 Rb8 57. Be2+ Ke3 58. Bh5 Rxb4+ 59. Kc1 Rc4 60. Rxc4 Bxc4 61. Bg6 f4 62. gxf4 gxf4 63. Kd1 f3 White resigns.
Park-Woodward, U.S. 2025 Junior Championship, St. Louis, July 2025
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 e5 7. Nf3 Qc7 8. a4 Nbd7 9. g4 Qc6 10. Nd2 h6 11. f5 Be7 12. Bc4 b6 13. Qf3 Rb8 14. Qe2 Qa8 15. b3 Bb7 16. Bb2 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Bh4+ 20. Kd1 Qxd5 21. Qe4 Qd6 22. Ke2 O-O 23. Nc4 Qc5 24. Ne3 Rfc8 25. Rhd1 Nf6 26. Qxe5 Qc6 27. Qd6 Qe4 28. Qd3 Qf4 29. Rh1 Qf2+ White resigns.
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