An 11-year-old Californian in March became the youngest American girl to ever become a master, breaking a record that had stood for 18 years.
The girl, Annie Wang, of La Cañada Flintridge, Calif., earned the rank at the National Junior Chess Congress in Irvine, Calif., where she won the 12-and-under division. The victory pushed her rating past 2,200, the level required for a master. The record had been held by Irina Krush, now the United States women’s champion, who was 12 when she became a master.
