Alice Lee Makes History as First Female Player to Surpass 3000 Rating on Chess.com
Alice Lee Makes History as First Female Player to Cross 3000 Rating on Chess.com
In a groundbreaking achievement, 16-year-old International Master (IM) Alice Lee has become the first female player to surpass the 3000 rating mark on Chess.com across all time controls—bullet, blitz, and rapid. On March 17, Lee reached an impressive bullet rating of 3002, marking a significant milestone in the world of online chess.
Lee’s journey to this historic rating began on March 16, when she kicked off a 43-game session with a bullet rating of 2927. By the end of the day, she had climbed to 2996. The following day, she played two additional games against the anonymous account GMDragz, ultimately pushing her rating to an all-time high of 3002 before logging off.
This remarkable feat comes just a week after Lee’s victory at the Women’s American Cup 2026 in St. Louis, where she triumphed over the highest-rated woman in the U.S., IM Carissa Yip, in the Grand Final. This win not only secured her a prize of $49,000 but also marked her third consecutive victory at the event.
In an interview with Chess.com’s FM Mike Klein, Lee shared her thoughts on the tournament format, which she found advantageous: “Both because you have the extra life [in double elimination, you can lose two matches before you’re eliminated] and because it’s in a match format means that even if you lose a game, it’s possible to come back.”
Previously, no female player had even crossed the 2950 threshold in bullet chess. The second-highest-rated female player, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, peaked at 2948. Interestingly, only one grandmaster appears in the top 10 list for bullet chess, as Chess.com only counts verified titled accounts.
Top 10 Women’s Bullet Ratings on Chess.com
| Title | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IM | Alice Lee |
| 2 | GM | Vaishali Rameshbabu |
| 3 | WIM | Umida Omonova |
| 4 | IM | Nurgyul Salimova |
| 5 | FM | Anastasia Avramidou |
| 6 | WGM | Aleksandra Maltsevskaya |
| 7 | WIM | Melika Mohammadi |
| 8 | WFM | Hoang Minh Tho Do |
| 9 | WFM | Veronika Shubenkova |
| 10 | FM | Liya Kurmangaliyeva |
In blitz chess, IM Polina Shuvalova recently set the record for the highest blitz rating for women at 2980.
Lee, who is set to graduate high school in just two months, is a child prodigy and a ChessKid ambassador. She previously hosted the show Alice’s Pawn Palace. Currently, she ranks as the third highest-rated female player in the U.S., trailing only Yip and eight-time U.S. Champion GM Irina Krush. Additionally, she is the world number four among girls under the age of 20.
Lee and Yip are also in the running for the Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield Award, a $100,000 prize for the next five U.S. women to earn the grandmaster title between 2024 and 2029.
Reflecting on her recent success, Lee noted, “A big factor in my online rating improvement has been just playing a lot. I think it’s like if you throw enough darts at a dartboard.” She also mentioned that her experiences in over-the-board chess have helped her develop perseverance, especially in bullet chess, where quick decisions are crucial.
As she looks ahead, Lee plans to take a gap year after graduation to focus on her chess career, aiming for the grandmaster title and participating in various tournaments. She expressed excitement about upcoming events, including the 2026 Chess Olympiad and the U.S. Women’s Championship.
With her sights set on the future, Lee is also following the upcoming 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and the Women’s Candidates, rooting for American players like GM Fabiano Caruana and the youngest candidate, GM Divya Deshmukh.
Alice Lee’s remarkable achievements not only highlight her talent but also pave the way for future generations of female chess players.