Sixteen-year-old IM Alice Lee defeated FM Anastasia Avramidou 19.5-4.5 in the semifinal of the 2026 Women's Speed Chess Championship. Lee won 11 of the last 12 games to secure her spot. She will face the winner of the match between GM Bibisara Assaubayeva and GM Hou Yifan.
Lee dominated the match across all time controls. She took a 6-1 lead in the 5+1 section and extended it to 14-3 after the 3+1 games. In the bullet portion she added 5.5 points to finish with a commanding margin.
The teenager credited strong time management for her success. "I felt like I was managing my time pretty well," Lee said after the match. Avramidou scored her only win of the final 14 games in the bullet section.
Lee becomes the youngest finalist in the event's history. She earned $7,250 for the semifinal victory. The final is scheduled later in the July 6-31 tournament.
In the other quarterfinal, GM Hou Yifan defeated GM Anna Muzychuk 8.5-5.5 to reach the semifinal against Assaubayeva.