Young Stars and Old Masters: The Latest From St. Louis

Right now, in St. Louis, some of the best chess players in the United States are sitting quietly at the board. They are thinking hard. They are trying to win.

The 2026 U.S. Junior and Senior Championships started on July 14. Young players and older players both have their own events. After three rounds, one clear leader now sits on top of each section. Here is the newest news from the past day.

A Record-Breaker Leads the Juniors

The Junior Championship is for the young stars of American chess. And the leader is a special name: Abhimanyu Mishra.

A few years ago, Mishra became the youngest grandmaster in history. He earned the title at just 12 years old. Now he is back in St. Louis, and he is playing beautiful chess. He beat Evan Park with the black pieces and moved to 2½ points from 3 games. That is enough to lead.

But two strong players are close behind. One is Andy Woodward, who won this event last year. The other is Tanitoluwa Adewumi, whose amazing life story — from a refugee shelter to the chess elite — has been told in a book and will soon be a film. The two friends drew their game with each other, and now both trail Mishra by only half a point. Bach Ngo is also right there, tied for second.

The race is very tight. One win can change everything.

Akopian Will Not Slow Down

In the Senior Championship, one man is running away from the field: Vladimir Akopian. He has won all three of his games. He leads by a full point.

Akopian used the same simple plan in 2024, when he won the title: win so many games early that nobody can catch you. He beat Stuart Rachels in the latest round to stay perfect. Last year's champion, Alexander Fishbein, is chasing on 2 points, together with Alexander Onischuk. But for now, the older master looks very calm and very strong.

The Other Two Races

Two more champions are being decided at the same time.

In the Girls' Junior, young Rachael Li has won all three of her games. She leads the defending champion, Zoey Tang, by half a point. In the Senior Women's event, Jennifer Skidmore Smith holds the top spot after a tough, resilient draw with two-time champion Natalya Tsodikova.

Here is how the four races look right now:

Why This Is Special

It is rare to see all of this under one roof. In one hall, a young man who made history at age 12 is fighting for a title. In the next, a veteran who has played chess for decades is showing that experience still wins games. Old and young, side by side, chasing the same dream.

The championships run until July 23. The leaders look strong, but chess is never finished until the last move. Anything can still happen — and that is exactly why we keep watching.