The American skater achieved a personal best score of 104.12 points on home ice, following the completion of his routine at the Olympic Skating Centre.

His performance included a quad Lutz-triple toe combination, a quad flip, a triple Axel, two level-four spins and level-four footwork.

"It was really exciting to be in America for my fourth ever Grand Prix," said Chen.

"I made a little bobble on my Axel, but this is something I will try to focus on for tomorrow.

"The music has a really good beat, everybody can feel it and clap along.

"I definitely feel that, even in practice when I am just alone on the ice.

"When the music is playing, I can feel the character and I can really get into it."

The American boasts a comfortable advantage over his compatriot Adam Rippon, who has a tally of 89.04 points in second.

Russia's Sergei Voronov lies in third place in the standings on 87.51 points at the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating series event.

It boosts his chances of qualifying for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, with Skate America offering skaters a final chance to book their place at next month's event in Nagoya.

Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford lead the pairs competition following the short programme.

The two-time world champions skated a clean routine, which featured a side by side triple Lutz, a triple twist and a throw triple Lutz.

The pair finished with a total of 75.37 points, with China's Xiaoyu Yu and Hao Zhang putting the Canadians under pressure by scoring 73.67.

Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany complete the current top three on 72.55 points.

Competition will continue tomorrow with the men's and pairs events drawing to a close.

The ladies short programme and ice dance events will begin in the evening session.