US Chess (or as you may still be calling it, the USCF) has begun publishing Top 100 lists for girls at each age... not just the groups of U21, U16, U13 as was being compiled previously.

None of the age groups have 100 players yet, but it is hoped that by raising the profile for girls' chess, it may attract -- and retain -- more female players.

Before names can appear on the lists, parents must provide authorization and some form of age-verification. If your child is not listed and you believe they should be, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for assistance.

On the January 2016 lists, Penny Xu remains the top-rated Illinois female 18-or-younger despite playing only a single rated event in recent times. Penny (1966) is ranked 7th in the country for 18 year olds specifically. Caeley Harihara (1753) is ranked 11th, Victoria Bian (1633) is 18th, Zephanie Szarek is 40th (330). 

The age 17 list (containing 45 names) does not include a single Illinois player.

Former national champion Kiana Hobbs (1052), ranked 43rd, is the lone age 16 Illinois player.

Shayna Provine is eighth among 15 year olds (1824), Cassie Parent (1588) is 28th, Emma Wang (1474) is 35th, Shvetali Thatte (1399) is 39th and Emily McClanahan (1391) ranks 41st. 

Miranda Liu (1925) is eighth among 14 year olds in the country, Christine Zhang (1283) is 50th. Rithika Kyaw (976) stands 67th.

Marissa Li (1901) is tenth among 13 year olds. Elizabeth Peterson (983) is 87th.

Illinois is solid in the age 12 category with Shreya Mangalam (1933) rated fourth and Aria Hoesley (1731) ranked seventh. Diana Shklover (1207) is 51st, Sarah Grandy (945) is 75th. 

Among 11 year olds, Ashley Yan (1378) is ranked 28th, Nadia Frieden (1299) is tied for 38th. Devanshi Kothari (1139) is 50th while Sophia Cai (1058) is 62nd. Rujuta Durwas (987) is 75th.

Illinois' top-rated 10 year old is Anusha Nadkarni (1115), 41st in the US. Sarah Lin (987) is number 58. Mengzhu Cai (844) is 83rd.

Top rated 9-year olds in Illinois fall in a cluster: Alice Fan is 45th (1004), Natalie Wisniowski (1000) is 46th, and Esma Freiden (943) is 49th. Sahitya Maheswaran (734) is 76th, Jame Sewell (699) is 86th.

8-year old Aya Yasumoto is the top-rated Illinois girl her age, 49th in the US. Saanvi Adusumalli (673) is 51st and Catherine Liu (665) is 54th.

Ages 7 and younger, Cecilia Wille (430) is 57th in the US. 

All ratings quoted are the January official ratings which includes events through December 16, the third Wednesday of the prior month. An event such as the 2016 Illinois All Girls occurred after the February cut-off (1/20) and those results will be reflected in the March official ratings and lists.