10-year-old Keya Jha has etched her name into chess history as the youngest American ever to defeat a Grandmaster. The prodigy accomplished this remarkable feat by outplaying Grandmaster Bryan Smith in the final round of the 5th Annual Joe Yun Memorial Tournament, held in Akron, Ohio, (see The Chess Calendar). At the time of her victory, Keya Jha was just 10 years, 9 months, and 2 days old, shattering a record previously set by American chess star Carissa Yip, who was 10 years, 11 months, and 20 days old when she defeated a Grandmaster in 2019.
Remarkably, Keya’s historic achievement coincided with another groundbreaking moment in chess. On the same day, 10-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan also defeated a Grandmaster, earning her the title of the youngest player in the world to achieve this feat at 10 years, 5 months, and 3 days old. (see Bodhana go mainstream)
Youngest girls ever to defeat a Grandmaster
| Name | Country | Age at Time of Defeating Grandmaster |
|---|---|---|
| Bodhana Sivanandan | England | 10 years, 5 months, 3 days |
| Keya Jha | USA | 10 years, 9 months, 2 days |
| Carissa Yip | USA | 10 years, 11 months, 20 days |
Photo: Keya Jha, US Chess Federation
The dramatic setting around Keya Jha victory, explained by Bryan Smith
In an email to Chess.com, Bryan Smith called the loss in a winning position “devastating” and explained that he had simply got the time control wrong.
“I had played in the two-day time control. When round three came (the merge), I went to check the time control on a flyer I had printed out which was in my car, since nowhere was the time control posted in the tournament hall or by the wallcharts. Nor did I hear any announcement before round three. According to the flyer, it was 40/90 SD 30 with a 30-second increment.”
“Round 5 was the only one of my games that went beyond move 40. So at move 42 I let my time run out, since I assumed I receive another 30 minutes. When my “flag” fell and 30 minutes were not added, I assumed they had set the clock wrong. That’s when I found out that there was only one time control, 90 minutes for the whole game with a 30-second increment. I ran to my car, found the flyer and discovered it was from 2024. I had printed out the wrong flyer.”
“It was completely devastating to lose on time in such an easily winning position. I lost over $1,200 as a result (difference between clear first and tie for second), and obviously I lost the rating points as well. I immediately had to drive 7 hours home in a state of total despair. “
