Record Broken: I'm an IM!

Hi ChessKids!

I'm here to give an update on my chess career: recently, I got my final IM norm at SPICE Cup and am the youngest American female International Master in history!

But before we get started, a fun fact: I'm actually very superstitious. If I play very well on one day I like to wear the same clothes again for the next rounds, use the same pen, eat the same foods, etc. One of my superstitions has to do with the location of the tournament. For instance, I do very well in North Carolina (it's where I got my first IM norm).

Unfortunately, SPICE Cup took place in one of my not-so-hot locations: Saint Louis. I love STL as a city, but for some reason, I can never play my best chess there. In STL, I've had a fair share of good tournaments (2018 and 2019 US Juniors Girls), but also a fair share of bad ones. For those who follow the US Championships, you know what I'm talking about. The 2017 US Junior Girls, which might be one of my worst tournaments ever, also took place in STL. So I was a bit nervous for the tournament. But OK, enough chatter, on to the best tactics of SPICE Cup!

In the third round, I was paired against Theodore Slade, and managed to execute this cute little tactic. Black to move and win, don't scroll yet since the answer and explanation is right under the position!

After Rb1, my opponent resigned. If he plays Kf2, then I can play Ne4 and fork the king and rook! So, he has to give up the knight with Ne1. Either way, he's losing material and the game is over. Here's the full game:

In Round 5, I was paired against GM John Burke. John and I have played twice before, with me blowing a winning position the first time and settling on a draw, and with him absolutely demolishing me in twenty moves the second time.

Battle of teenagers: GM John Burke vs. WGM Carissa Yip. Photo: Susan Polgar Foundation.

But, I was determined to get my revenge. In the position below, it's Black to move and win. Since this puzzle is pretty difficult, I'll give you guys a hint: Black doesn't promote (yet)! Don't scroll yet, since the answer and explanation is again right under the position.

Here, Black seems to be lost. If Black promotes to a queen then White plays Re8, followed by Ra8 if the queen goes back to b5. And now Black cannot stop the double threat of Bc4 along with back rank mate. So, promoting right away doesn't work.

Carissa Yip

Soon-to-be-IM Carissa Yip is now the youngest female IM in American history, breaking the record of Irina Krush. Yip now has 13 years to break Krush's record of youngest female grandmaster in the U.S. Photo: Susan Polgar Foundation.

Thinking about what White wants to do and how to stop it is the key. (This is a positional theme called prophylaxis, where you anticipate and stop your opponent's plans!) White has two threats: Re8, threatening back rank mate, and Rf4, stopping the pawn from promoting. So, Black has to make sure White can't play Rf4 while simultaneously ensuring there will be no back rank mate. Once we realize this, the solution is obvious: g5!! The full game is below:

After this win, it was pretty smooth sailing to the last norm. As some of you may know, the requirements for the International Master title are: three norms and a 2400 FIDE rating. (FIDE is the international rating system). I reached 2425 FIDE and achieved my other two norms last year and this summer, so this was my final requirement for the title. (I'll be writing about that soon, so keep an eye out!)

Anyway, I wanted to give you ChessKids a big shoutout for coming with me on this journey. Thank you all for cheering me on! It's been amazing.

Until next time!