Stuart Rachels (born September 26, 1969) is an International Master of chess and the son of the philosopher James Rachels (1941–2003). He tied for first place in the 1989-90 U.S. Chess Championship. Although no longer an active player, his FIDE rating is 2485, and his USCF rating is 2605.
Rachels grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. He received a B.A. in philosophy, with Highest Honors, from Emory University in 1991, another B.A., in philosophy and politics, from Oxford University in 1993 on a Marshall Scholarship, and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 1998.
In 1981, at the age of 11 years and 10 months, he became the youngest chess master in U.S. history, a record that stood until 1994. He won the United States Junior Invitational Championship in 1988. His greatest chess achievement was tying for first place in the 1989-90 U.S. Championship with grandmasters Roman Dzindzichashvili and Yasser Seirawan. This qualified him to play in the 1990 Manila Interzonal, where he achieved a respectable score of 6 points out of 13 games. Rachels and John Grefe, the 1973 U.S. co-champion, are the only players since 1948 to win or share the U.S. Championship who did not become grandmasters.