 Carissa Yip becoming the youngest female master in USCF history is a source of tremendous pride for the Massachusetts chess community. Let’s take a look back at how she got there:
2003: Taking a crucial first step towards making master, Carissa Yip is born.
11/30/2010: After recently turning 7, Carissa Yip completes her first rated tournament, the Metrowest Chess Club Thanksgiving Swiss, and earns a provisional 945 USCF rating.
2012: With strong showings in the spring’s Mass Open and Wachusett Club Championship, the 8- year-old’s rating rockets over 150 points in two events, making her an A-player for the first time.
05/11/2013: Carissa defeats her first master, besting LM Hal Terrie at the BCC Grand Prix.
11/09/2013: Buoyed by another strong BCC GP showing, Carissa becomes the youngest female expert in USCF history, and in doing so earns her first Chess Horizons cover.
08/30/2014: Not yet 11, Carissa becomes the youngest girl ever to beat a GM in a tournament game, stunning GM Ivanov at the N.E. Open.
02/28/2015: A week after her pivotal win over NM Williams, Carissa seals her master rating. Of course, there are still more milestones to achieve and records to shatter. For this wunderkind, the sky is the limit.
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