# US Chess Championship

The US Chess Championship is an invitational tournament organized by the United States Chess Federation to determine the country's chess champion. It is the oldest national chess tournament. The event originated as a challenge match in 1845, but the champion has been decided by tournament play under the auspices of the USCF since 1936. The tournament has fluctuated between a round-robin tournament and a Swiss system. From 1999 to 2006, the championship was sponsored and organized by the Seattle Chess Foundation (later renamed America's Foundation for Chess) and featured a larger body of competitors, made possible by the change to a Swiss-style format. After the Foundation withdrew its sponsorship, the 2007 and 2008 events were held in Stillwater, Oklahoma, still as a Swiss system, under tournament director Frank K. Berry. The Saint Louis Chess Club has hosted the championship since 2009. Since 2014, the championship has used a round-robin format. The event is often a Zonal tournament for the United States Chess Federation, providing qualifier spots to the Chess World Cup.
As of 2023, twelve players are invited to compete: the reigning US champion, as well as the respective winners of the US Open Chess Championship and the US Junior Championship. The remaining players are chosen by highest invitational rating, in addition to one organizer wildcard. Fabiano Caruana is the current US chess champion.

## By acclamation (1845–1891)

    YearsChampionNotes 1845–1857Charles StanleyDefeated Eugène Rousseau in a match in 1845 1857–1871Paul MorphyWon the first American Chess Congress in 1857 1871–1891George Henry MackenzieWon the 2nd, 3rd and 5th American Chess Congress

## Match format (1891–1935)

George Henry Mackenzie died in April 1891 and, later that year, Max Judd proposed he, Jackson Showalter and S. Lipschütz contest a triangular match for the championship. Lipschütz withdrew so Judd and Showalter played a match which the latter won. A claim by Walter Penn Shipley that S. Lipschütz became US Champion as a result of being the top-scoring American at the Sixth American Chess Congress, New York 1889, is refuted in a biography of Lipschütz. The following US Champions until 1909 were decided by matches.
    YearWinnerLoserResultNotes 11891–92Jackson ShowalterMax Judd+7−4=3The final game was delayed until January 1892 because Judd was ill. 21892Samuel LipschützJackson Showalter+7−1=7 31894Jackson Showalter (2)Albert Hodges+7−6=4Prior to the last game the players agreed to extend the match. Many sources classify this as the first of two matches instead of one extended match. 41894Albert HodgesJackson Showalter+5−3=1Can be considered a match extension or a new match. 51895Jackson Showalter (3)S. Lipschütz+7−4=3 61896Jackson Showalter (4)Emil Kemény+7−4=4 71896Jackson Showalter (5)John Barry+7−2=4 81897Harry PillsburyJackson Showalter+10−7=3Pillsbury added to the conditions of the match : "... even if I should win, I shall leave Showalter the possession of his championship title". 91898Harry Pillsbury (2)Jackson Showalter+7−2=2Contrary to the 1897 match, the title of US champion was clearly at stake in 1898. 101909Frank MarshallJackson Showalter+7−2=3Title reverted to Showalter after Pillsbury's death in 1906. 111923Frank Marshall (2)Edward Lasker+5−4=9Marshall declined to play in the invitational tournament that began in 1936.

## Round-robin format (1936–1998)

    №YearWinner(s)Notes 11936Samuel Reshevsky 21938Samuel Reshevsky (2) 31940Samuel Reshevsky (3) -1941Samuel Reshevsky (4)Match victory over I.A. Horowitz 41942Samuel Reshevsky (5)An erroneous ruling by the director allowed Reshevsky to tie for first with Isaac Kashdan. Reshevsky won a playoff match against Kashdan 6 months later. 51944Arnold Denker -1946Arnold Denker (2)Match victory over Herman Steiner 61946Samuel Reshevsky (6) 71948Herman Steiner 81951Larry Evans -1952Larry Evans (2)Match victory over Herman Steiner 91954Arthur Bisguier -1957Samuel Reshevsky (7)Match victory over Arthur Bisguier. The title was not at stake, Bisguier remains champion. 101957/8Bobby FischerAt 14, the youngest champion ever 111958/9Bobby Fischer (2) 121959/0Bobby Fischer (3) 131960/1Bobby Fischer (4) 141961/2Larry Evans (3) 151962/3Bobby Fischer (5) 161963/4Bobby Fischer (6)The only perfect score in tournament history 171965/6Bobby Fischer (7) 181966/7Bobby Fischer (8)A record eighth win (out of eight attempts) 191968Larry Evans (4) 201969Samuel Reshevsky (8) 211972Robert ByrnePlayoff held 9 months after the tournament, with Byrne winning over Samuel Reshevsky and Lubomir Kavalek 221973Lubomir Kavalek John Grefe 231974Walter Browne 241975Walter Browne (2) 251977Walter Browne (3) 261978Lubomir Kavalek (2) 271980Walter Browne (4) Larry Christiansen Larry Evans (5) 281981Walter Browne (5) Yasser Seirawan 291983Walter Browne (6) Larry Christiansen (2) Roman Dzindzichashvili 301984Lev Alburt 311985Lev Alburt (2) 321986Yasser Seirawan (2) 331987Joel Benjamin Nick de Firmian 341988Michael Wilder 351989Roman Dzindzichashvili (2) Stuart Rachels Yasser Seirawan (3) 361990Lev Alburt (3)Knockout tournament 371991Gata KamskyKnockout tournament 381992Patrick Wolff 391993Alexander Shabalov Alex Yermolinsky 401994Boris GulkoThe only person to have held both the US and Soviet championships 411995Nick de Firmian (2) Patrick Wolff (2) Alexander Ivanov 421996Alex Yermolinsky (2) 431997Joel Benjamin (2) 441998Nick de Firmian (3)

## Swiss format (1999–2013)

    №YearWinner(s)Notes 451999Boris Gulko (2) 462000Joel Benjamin (3) Alexander Shabalov (2) Yasser Seirawan (4) 472002Larry Christiansen (3) 482003Alexander Shabalov (3) 492005Hikaru NakamuraTournament was played in 2004, but called the 2005 Championship for legal reasons 502006Alexander Onischuk 512007Alexander Shabalov (4) 522008Yury Shulman 532009Hikaru Nakamura (2) 542010Gata Kamsky (2)Kamsky won an Armageddon tie-break playoff against Yury Shulman 552011Gata Kamsky (3) 562012Hikaru Nakamura (3)Switched to a round-robin tournament for this year only 572013Gata Kamsky (4)Kamsky won an Armageddon tie-break playoff against Alejandro Ramírez

## Round-robin format (2014–present)

    №YearWinner(s)Notes 582014Gata Kamsky (5)Kamsky won a playoff rapid against Varuzhan Akobian after Akobian qualified by beating Aleksandr Lenderman on an Armageddon tie-break 592015Hikaru Nakamura (4) 602016Fabiano Caruana 612017Wesley SoWesley So won a rapid playoff against Alexander Onischuk 622018Samuel Shankland 632019Hikaru Nakamura (5) 642020Wesley So (2)Tournament held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted online via Lichess. 652021Wesley So (3)So won a rapid playoff against Fabiano Caruana and Samuel Sevian 662022Fabiano Caruana (2) 67 2023 Fabiano Caruana (3) 68 2024 Fabiano Caruana (4)

## Players by number of championships

| Name | Total Victories | Tournament Victories | Match Victories | Years |
| Bobby Fischer | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1957/8 1958/9 1959/0 1960/1 1962/3 1963/4 1965/6 1966/7 |
| Samuel Reshevsky | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1936 1938 1940 1941 1942 1946 1957 1969 |
| Walter Browne | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1974 1975 1977 1980 1981 1983 |
| Larry Evans | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1951 1952 1961/2 1968 1980 |
| Gata Kamsky | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1991 2010 2011 2013 2014 |
| Hikaru Nakamura | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2005 2009 2012 2015 2019 |
| Jackson Showalter | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1891–92 1894 1895 1896 1896 |
| Yasser Seirawan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1981 1986 1989 2000 |
| Alexander Shabalov | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1993 2000 2003 2007 |
| Fabiano Caruana | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2016 2022 2023 2024 |
| Lev Alburt | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1984 1985 1990 |
| Joel Benjamin | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1987 1997 2000 |
| Larry Christiansen | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1980 1983 2002 |
| Nick de Firmian | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1987 1995 1998 |
| Wesley So | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2017 2020 2021 |
| Arnold Denker | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1944 1946 |
| Roman Dzindzichashvili | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1983 1989 |
| Boris Gulko | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1994 1999 |
| Lubomir Kavalek | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1973 1978 |
| Frank Marshall | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1909 1923 |
| Harry Pillsbury | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1897 1898 |
| Patrick Wolff | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1992 1995 |
| Alex Yermolinsky | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1993 1996 |
| Arthur Bisguier | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1954 |
| Robert Byrne | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1972 |
| John Grefe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1973 |
| Albert Hodges | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1894 |
| Alexander Ivanov | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1995 |
| Samuel Lipschütz | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1892 |
| Alexander Onischuk | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2006 |
| Stuart Rachels | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1989 |
| Samuel Shankland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2018 |
| Yury Shulman | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2008 |
| Herman Steiner | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1948 |
| Michael Wilder | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1988 |