Christopher Woojin Yoo is an American chess player. Known for being the youngest American ever to achieve the title of chess Grandmaster, he earned this landmark recognition from FIDE in January 2021 at the age of 14 years, 4 months, and 25 days, breaking the previous record set by current U.S. Chess Champion Wesley So. Born on August 18, 2006 in California, Yoo started showing interest in chess around age six after watching his older sister play. By age 7, he started taking lessons and entering tournaments.
Yoo won multiple statewide tournaments before winning the Under-8 North American Youth Chess Championship in Mexico in 2014. The following year, he became the youngest ever National Master in the history of American chess, earning this title when he was 9 years, 11 months, and 4 days old. Successes such as these led to his receiving the endorsement of the Kasparov Chess Foundation's Young Stars Program, which has been providing him with advanced coaching since 2016.
In 2019, Yoo earned his International Master title, which made him the youngest ever American to do so. He has earned 5 Grandmaster norms so far, more than the 2 required for earning the Grandmaster title. Despite his consistent successes, Yoo maintains a balance between his chess game and his academic work, aiming to stay on top of both.