Fresh off her third consecutive (and fourth overall) U.S. Women’s Championship title, I was honored to catch up with 22-year-old IM Carissa Yip. Carissa has taken a gap year from Stanford University and is immersed in a demanding schedule of training and competition. She’s had some excellent results this year and is now ranked #21 among women in the world.

Despite her success, Carissa has also experienced the emotional ups and downs that every serious chess player can relate to. In our conversation, she discusses:

Her personal recollections of GM Daniel Naroditsky, including how he once went out of his way to help her prepare during a major tournament.

The helpful opening advice recently shared with her by her friend and coach, GM Awonder Liang.

How she overcame sluggish starts to win both the 2025 U.S. Women’s Championship and the Cairns Cup.

Carissa shared a mix of funny stories and thoughtful reflections on her training regimen, the gender gap in chess, and her advice for improvement. She even recommended a novel to read and touched on her passion for writing. I really enjoyed catching up with Carissa and am excited to see her bright future continue to unfold. 

0:00- Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:

https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

And you can check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

0:02- Carissa joins the pod. She begins by sharing her recollections of GM Daniel Naroditsky 

Mentioned: Zatonskih-Yip 2020

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2011266

0:05- Carissa had slow starts at both Cairns Cup and this US Champs- Why? 

0:07- Carissa’s training regimen

Mentioned: Killer Chess Training

0:09- Carissa’s Opening Approach

Mentioned: GM Awonder Liang

Check out Carissa’s US Championship Games here:

https://lichess.org/study/etqoyX0E/QRi8cCdw

17:00- How to approach a new opening

19:00- Carissa’s approach to training games

22:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Would Carissa prefer a corporate career or to pursue chess professionally?” 

24:30- Carissa retells the story of a funny bet between GM Awonder Liang and GM Sam Shankland

Mentioned: February 2025 Chess Life Magazine

https://new.uschess.org/magazine/feb-25-chess-life

28:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How can I overcome a slow start, as Carissa has done repeatedly?” 

36:00- Carissa’s fiction recommendation:

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

38:00- Carissa’ passion for writing 

40:00- How does Carissa describe the  e-sports experience of the recent USA vs. India match? l 

48:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Why does Carissa think no female player subsequent to Judit has reached her level of dominance?” 

54:00- Patreon mailbag question: “If Carissa could ask men in chess to do one thing differently, what would it be?” 

57:00- Carissa discusses her friendship with rising American star, IM Alice Lee

59:00- Carissa’s upcoming tournaments

1:01- Carissa’ chess improvement advice!

Thanks to Carissa for joining me again! Be sure to follow her on X and Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/carissayip/

https://x.com/carissayipchess?lang=en

Image in thumbnail by Lennart Ootes for the St. Louis Chess Club

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stlchessclub/54876804247/in/album-72177720329882462

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