IMAleksandr E. Usov

Aleksandr Usov grew up in Moscow's junior chess scene, winning Russian championships in the under-9, under-11 and under-13 age groups. His success with Moscow's winning White Rook school team in 2021 led to an invitation to Primakov Gymnasium, where he worked with grandmaster Igor Yagupov. He helped the school win White Rook again in 2023 and 2024. Playing second board for Primakov, he contributed to its bronze medal in the adult Russian Higher League team championship in 2023. He also won the Moscow region's men's blitz championship that year and made his Premier League team debut for the region in 2024. At fifteen, he won the 2025 Moscow Open blitz event, ending with five straight victories in a field containing eight grandmasters. FIDE records his International Master title in 2026. His younger brother Dmitri has also won medals in Russian youth chess.