Young chess master Alice Lee, of North Oaks, has taken home her second Women’s American Cup championship after competing last week in St. Louis.

The 2025 tournament, organized by the St. Louis Chess Club, took place March 15-24 at the World Chess Hall of Fame. The event had a total prize fund of $400,000 and “featured a high-intensity double-elimination knockout format,” according to a press release.

“Tournaments in St. Louis are very well organized, so it’s always enjoyable for me,” Lee, 15, told the Pioneer Press. “This was one of the toughest events to play in because there are so many top players playing. But I did win it last year, so for me it was mostly about keeping my nerves down and focusing on each match.”

In the grand final playoff on Sunday, Lee defeated Woman Grandmaster Tatev Abrahamyan 2-0, earning $49,000.“Alice’s achievement at such a young age is truly remarkable, and we’re excited for her future in chess,” technical director Tony Rich said in a St. Louis Chess Club release. The Chess Club has tournament highlights posted on its YouTube channel (youtube.com/@STLChess Club).

Asked how she would celebrate her win, Lee told tournament officials, “I’ll probably get ice cream to celebrate and I’ll probably splurge by getting my mom to buy my cat some new treats.”

Lee got her start playing the intense game of skill at just 6 years old. She became a U.S. Chess Expert at eight, Chess National Master at 10 and has kept her title as International Chess Master after defeating the woman who inspired her, Irina Krush, at last year’s competition. That’s just one step below the highest rank of Grandmaster.

The teenager shared with the Pioneer Press last year that she teaches online chess lessons through the Unruly Queens nonprofit to young girls interested in learning and improving their skills. Lee said she plans to do so until she graduates from Mounds View high school.

She said seeing other young girls show interest in the male-dominated game excites her.

“I think it’s very good overall because I also teach with some of the other top young female chess players in the country and see the upcoming girls, who I hope will do very well with the environment we provide in our classes,” Lee said.

Abrahamyan, of St. Louis, finished in second place, winning $30,000, and Grandmaster Krush from Ukraine finished third, taking home $20,000.

“In the next couple of years, I am hoping to become a Grandmaster,” Lee said. “This is something that I’ve been kind of dragging along for quite a while, but this tournament does give me quite a bit of motivation.”