Chess Bio

 

CalChess Woman's State Championship, Berkeley CA, July 2023

Uyanga Byambaa is a Woman FIDE Master (WFM) with a peak FIDE rating of 2138. She also holds the title of National Master from the US Chess Federation, with a peak rating of 2275.

Uyanga began playing chess at the age of four, taught by her father. Before graduating high school in Mongolia, she earned the title of National Candidate Master. After immigrating to the United States, Uyanga started playing in the US Chess League at the Mechanics Chess Club, competing on board 3 alongside top grandmasters in Northern California, with a peak performance rating of 2343. She is ranked #14 among female chess players in Mongolia and represents Mongolia in international competitions.

Uyanga has achieved one norm toward the title of Woman International Master (WIM). In that tournament play, she has drawn against 7-time US Women's Chess Champion Grandmaster Irina Krush, as well as top-ranked players from Argentina, and has defeated the #1 - ranked women players from Canada and Cuba. Her games have been frequently published for their brilliance, and she was recently featured in the August edition of US Chess Life in the "My Best Move" column.

Uyanga has won numerous national and state titles. In 2013, her team competed in the US Amateur National Championship, where she played on board 3, leading her team to victory and obtaining a national title. She is a two-time California Women's State Chess Champion, having won the title in both 2016 and 2017. Additionally, Uyanga has triumphed in several other state and local tournaments, often as the first female player to do so. Some of her notable achievements include:

• 2024: Tied for third in the California Women's State Chess Championship, Berkeley CA

• 2023: Fifth place in Elite Besa Masaiti WIM Norm Chess Championship, Gaborone Botswana

• 2023: Second place in the California Women's State Chess Championship, Berkeley CA

• 2023: Second place in the Nairobi Chess Club Championship, Nairobi Kenya

• 2017 and 2016: CalChess Woman's State champion, Berkeley CA

• 2015: Co-champion in the US Women's Open at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival, Las Vegas NV

• 2015: Winner of the 44th Carroll Capps Memorial and 15th JJ Dolan Memorial at the Mechanics Chess Club,  San Francisco CA

• 2015 and 2014: Winner of the Alan Benson Marathon and Jacqueline Piatigorsky Marathon at the Berkeley Chess Club, Berkeley CA

• 2014: Co-champion of the Sacramento Chess Championship, Sacramento CA