At just 16 years old, IM Alice Lee has cemented herself as the most dominant force in American women's chess. On March 12, Lee claimed her third consecutive American Cup Women's title at the Saint Louis Chess Club, defeating IM Carissa Yip 1½–½ in the Grand Final to take home $49,000 — including a $9,000 bracket bonus.
Lee was undefeated throughout the entire tournament, sweeping through the Championship Bracket with wins over Rachel Li (2–0), Zoey Tang (1½–½), and Yip (2½–1½) before clinching the title in the Grand Final Reset. She scored 4½ out of 6 in classical play and won both of her blitz games.
But the American Cup wasn't her only milestone. Lee has also become the first woman in history to reach a 3000 rating on Chess.com — a barrier that no female player had ever broken. The achievement puts her in an elite class shared by only a handful of players worldwide and underscores the gap between Lee and the rest of the women's field.
Lee has now reached the Grand Final in all five editions of the American Cup since its inception in 2022, winning three of the last three. Her dominance at such a young age draws comparisons to the greatest prodigies the game has ever seen.
"First and foremost, thank you to the club, Rex Sinquefield and Jeanne Sinquefield, and the entire team for putting on such an amazing event," Lee said after her win. "It feels great to win three times in a row."
The American Cup 2026 took place March 3–12 in St. Louis with a combined prize fund of $400,000 across the open and women's sections. Wesley So won the open division.