Megan Paragua - Young Chess Prodigies
In this edition of ChessKid Spotlight, we showcase one of the brightest rising stars in chess, FM Megan Paragua!Learn All About Megan:
Who is Megan Paragua?
The 12-year-old New York native got her start playing competitively in 2019, where she quickly set herself apart as one of the most promising young talents in the world. Soon after, she began competing in international youth events, collecting numerous titles in the process, including being the 2025 All Girls U18 national champion and FIDE number-one for girls under 13.
Megan, a 6th grader, competes in the high school section at SuperNationals 2025, helping her team win 1st!
Megan is a FIDE master and also a ChessKid ambassador, competing in various events such as Kids vs. Stars and the 2023 and 2024 ChessKid Youth Championships. In Kids vs. Stars, she and FM Rose Atwell defeated WGM Nemo Zhou and WFM Anna Cramling.
Earlier in 2025, Paragua recently competed in the Grenke Open -- a tournament famous for its fierce grandmaster competition. In the event, she beat two international masters and crossed the 2300 FIDE rating barrier! This makes her one of the youngest FIDE masters in USA.
Watch Megan's performance on Kids vs. Stars!
Megan's Fast Facts
Check out some cool facts about Megan that you may not know!
Megan:
- likes to paint, draw, and play guitar!
- was the first Filipino-American to win gold at the 2024 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Cadet Chess Championship in both the Rapid and Blitz divisions
- is currently the number 5 female player in the world aged 13 or under
- has a grandmaster uncle, GM Mark Paragua, who is famous for being the youngest Filipino master ever at just 9 years old.
- is teammates with Tani Adewumi at Columbia Grammar School!
Megan at the 2023 National Grade Championships, where she was a co-champion!
Best Games
FunMasterMike Says…
"After the ascendency of super-talents Carissa Yip and Alice Lee, both of whom made IM, Megan is clearly the next American female to become a star. She's super talented, comes from a great chess family, is totally fearless, and has a fun personality. She's destined for great things in chess and I could not be more proud of her!"
Amazing job, Megan! Your growth has been incredible, and we’re cheering you on every step of the way.