California Teen Wins the 21st Annual Susan Polgar Foundation Girl’s Invitational Chess Tournament
June 30, 2025
Ruiyang Yan, an 18-year-old Women International Master and FIDE Master from California, took the top prize in the 22nd annual Susan Polgar Foundation Girls' Invitational Chess Tournament. Webster University hosts the event.
Yan was one of 62 girls 18-year-old and younger from 36 states who competed in the tournament, held June 21-25 in St. Louis. She won five games and had one draw. A draw is a chess term for when both players in a game agree that they can’t defeat the other.
“Coming into the tournament, Ruiyang was the top seed, and she convincingly surpassed all her competitors to win the tournament,” Webster University Chess Coach Liem Le said. “She had previously tied for first place in this tournament in 2023 and 2024, but this year she won clear first with 5.5 points out of 6 games. She also won the puzzle solving competition.”
Photo: Ruiyang Yan
The puzzle-solving competition is an event where participants compete to solve a series of chess problems within a set time limit. This competition tests players' tactical skills and ability to find winning moves or checkmates. Yan solved all 20 problems correctly in six minutes and 15 seconds.
Taking second place was 16-year-old Chloe Gaw, a Women’s International Master from New York. She won four games and had two draws. In third place was 13-year-old Lilianna Gao, from Connecticut. She won five games and lost one game.
All three players earned scholarships to attend Webster University. They also earned additional prize money, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. Other prizes ranging from $50 to $600 were also awarded to players in special categories.
The Susan Polgar Foundation Girl’s Invitation was founded by Polgar, Webster’s first chess coach, as a way to promote chess, especially among girls. Since 2003, the Susan Polgar Foundation has awarded more than $8 million in scholarships and prizes to young people, with more than half to girls.
To learn more about the Susan Polgar Foundation Girls' Invitational, or about Webster University’s chess program, visit webster.edu/spice.