Marissa Li Wins U12 at 2014 All-Girls Nationals

Marissa Li has won her Under 12 section of the 2014 National All-Girls competition completed today in Northbrook, IL.

Achieving the lone 5.5/6 score in the 74-player section, Marissa entered the event having boosted her USCF-rating nearly 400-points since competing in the 2013 All-Girls and over 800-points since the 2012 All-Girls.

By virtue of her section championship, Marissa qualifies to represent the USA at the World Youth Championships to be held in South Africa late in the year.

In the Under 14 section, Long Grove's Miranda Liu took home the third place award on tiebreaks, tying for second place with 5.0/6.

332 competed in six age-based sections. 

Also in the Under 12 section, Decatur Classical School's Aria Hoesley of Chicago finished 4.5 in a tie for eighth place. Impressively, Aria, a Class D player, defeated Class B opponents in the third and sixth rounds.

Caeley Harihara of Chicago's Walter Payton College Prep participated in a four-way tie for ninth in the Under 18 section. Caeley scored 3.0/6, placing 11th on tiebreaks.

Miranda and Caeley were the two members of the 2013 Warren Junior Scholars class to participate in the event. The 2014 Class is pending official announcement.

USCF crosstables can be viewed here.

The event was organized by the Kasparov Foundation and the Renaissance Knights. Writing in the March 2014 Chess Life, the official publication of the USCF, the Knight's David Heiser announced that he and his wife Sheila were considered the "King and Queen of Chicago Chess". The 2014 All-Girls event was moved to the suburbs after three years in the City of Chicago.

Just over 80% of the participants in the tournament entered from states other than Illinois.