Christopher Yoo (chess player)
| Christopher Woojin Yoo | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Born | December 19, 2006[1] Fremont, California |
| Title | Grandmaster (2022) |
| FIDE rating | 2588 (November 2024) |
| Peak rating | 2616 (August 2024) |
Christopher Woojin Yoo (born December 19, 2006) is an American chess grandmaster. He became the youngest International Master in American history in February 2019,[2] until being surpassed by Abhimanyu Mishra later in 2019.[3]
Chess career
[edit]In March/April 2018, Yoo earned clear first place in the Charlotte Chess Center's Spring 2018 IM Norm Invitational held in Charlotte, North Carolina with a score of 6.0/9.[4] Yoo also won the 2020 US Cadet (under-16) Championship.[5]
In May 2021, Yoo tied for first place with GM Peter Prohaszka in the Memorial Day 2021 CCCSA GM Norm Invitational tournament with a performance rating of 2600, earning his first GM norm.[6]
In September 2021, Yoo won the Labor Day 2021 CCCSA GM Norm Invitational tournament with a performance rating of 2620, earning his second GM norm.[7]
In November 2021, Yoo tied for 3rd place at the U.S. Masters Chess Championship with a performance rating of 2604, earning his third GM norm.[8]
On December 12, 2021, Yoo achieved a live FIDE rating of 2500.2 after round 5 of the Marshall Chess Club Championship, fulfilling the last requirement for the Grandmaster title.
In December 2021, Yoo tied for 1st place at the 2021 Charlotte Open alongside Grandmasters Titas Stremavičius, Cemil Can Ali Marandi, Tanguy Ringoir, Robby Kevlishvili, and Akshat Chandra with a performance rating of 2603, earning a fourth GM norm.[9]
In July 2022, Yoo won the US Junior Chess Championship with 7/9, a point ahead of the field. [10]
In October 2022, Yoo defeated GM Wesley So with the black pieces in the second round of the US Chess Championship in an over 200 point upset.
In November 2022, Yoo tied for 1st place at the 2022 U.S. Masters Chess Championship with a performance rating of 2653, and claimed the 2022 US Masters title after winning a blitz playoff against GM Alejandro Ramirez by a score of 2-0. [11]
In October 2024, Yoo was disqualified from the 2024 United States Chess Championship based on code of conduct violations. After losing to Fabiano Caruana in round 5, he crumpled his score sheet and punched a videographer from behind while leaving.[12] As this was before the midway point, his previous round losses such as his most recent loss to Caruana were annulled. Prior to being disqualified, he had 1.5 out of 5 with draws vs. Mishra, Oparin, and Sevian and losses to So and the aforementioned Caruana. He was also banned from the hosting venue, the St. Louis Chess Club[13] and was charged with 4th degree assault.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Klein, Mike (January 9, 2019). "Bay Area International Makes Chess History". Chess.com.
- ^ Pereira, Antonio (February 19, 2019). "Did Yoo know?". Chess News.
- ^ Doggers, Peter (November 16, 2019). "Abhimanyu Mishra Youngest IM In History". Chess.com.
- ^ "CCCSA GM/IM Norm Invitational - Memorial Day 2021 CCCSA GM/IM Norm Invitational Chess Tournament". chessstream.com.
- ^ Hartmann, John (September 28, 2020). "IM Christopher Yoo Wins 2020 Cadet". US Chess.org.
- ^ "CCCSA GM/IM Norm Invitational - Holiday 2021 GM/IM Norm Invitational Chess Tournament".
- ^ "CCCSA GM/IM Norm Invitational - Labor Day 2021 GM/IM Norm Invitational Chess Tournament".
- ^ "2021 US Masters".
- ^ "2021 Charlotte Open".
- ^ Levin, Anthony (July 19, 2022). "Yoo, Yu, Shabalov Win U.S. National Championships". Chess.com. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "2023 US Masters ~ Charlotte Chess Center".
- ^ Fischer, Johannes (October 17, 2024). "US Championships: Yoo expelled after violating the code of conduct".
- ^ Schneider, Joey (October 17, 2024). "Competitor banned from Saint Louis Chess Club, expelled from US Chess Championship".
- ^ Stegen, Anne (October 17, 2024). "Chess Grandmaster expelled from US Championship following violent outburst after loss". ksdk.com. KSDK. Retrieved October 17, 2024.