'Messi Of Chess' Faustino Oro Is On The Brink Of Breaking Youngest Ever Grandmaster Record

He's the "Messi of Chess" who's been breaking records almost everywhere he goes, just like his namesake. But this is the big one.

Chess wonderkid IM Faustino Oro is on the brink of rewriting history after securing a second of three grandmaster "norms" he needs to become the youngest grandmaster ever.

He has until March 11 to get the third, clear the final hurdle and claim that record.

The 12-year-old got the result he needed on Tuesday at the Magistral Szmetan–Giardelli tournament in Argentina with a final round win. Norway’s number-two GM Aryan Tari won the tournament, but it is fair to say that result was overshadowed by the local boy.

The Race Is On

The record Oro is targeting is held by the American GM Abhimanyu Mishra, now 16, who became the youngest ever chess grandmaster in 2021. He was aged 12 years, four months, and 25 days, when broke a 19-year-old record held by the Russian GM Sergey Karjakin.

Oro has already passed the 2500 rating requirement, which he achieved in October. In hitting 2509, Oro broke the record for the youngest-ever, and the first player under 12, to achieve an official FIDE rating of 2500 or over.

Going into the last round in Buenos Aires the youngster needed a draw with black against against Argentina's national champion GM Diego Flores to be sure of the norm. A win, however, would have put Oro in contention of winning the tournament if everything went his way.

Oro got the win, but results elsewhere didn't favour him. He ended on 5.5/10, half a point behind Tari. Oro's performance rating was 2608.

Oro broke the record for the world's youngest International Master in June 2024. He achieved his final norm aged 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days.

Oro's IM record has since been topped by 10-year-old IM Roman Shogdzhiev from Russia who achieved it at 10 years, 3 months, and 21 days. Shogdzhiev is following up behind Oro in the hunt for the GM record, but has yet to clinch a norm.