Faustino Oro Becomes Second-Youngest Grandmaster in History at 12 - The 'Messi of Chess' Arrives
Faustino Oro is a grandmaster. The 12-year-old Argentine clinched his third and final GM norm at the Sardinia World Chess Festival, becoming the second-youngest grandmaster in chess history at 12 years, 6 months, and 26 days.
Only Abhimanyu Mishra, who earned the title at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days in 2021, did it younger. Sergey Karjakin, whose record stood for nearly two decades before Mishra broke it, is now third on the all-time list at 12 years, 7 months.
"Now I am a GM. I am really, really happy," Oro said after the achievement.
How He Clinched It
Oro scored 6/9 at the Sardinia World Chess Festival, finishing 16th in a strong 158-player field. The decisive moment came in round 8, when he beat Polish IM Bartlomiej Niedbala. That result, combined with being paired against former World Championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi in the final round, mathematically guaranteed the performance rating needed for the norm.
The title was his with a round to spare.
It capped a steady norm collection over the past eight months. His first GM norm came at the Legends & Prodigies tournament in Madrid in September 2025, where he posted a 2759 performance rating. His second followed in December 2025 at the Magistral Szmetan-Giardelli in Buenos Aires.
A Lockdown Discovery
Oro's chess story starts during COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. His father was clearing out old belongings and was about to throw away a bag that had a chess set inside. Six-year-old Faustino found it, started playing, and things escalated quickly.
Within a few years, he held a string of age records: youngest player to reach a 2300 rating, youngest to hit 2500, highest-rated 11-year-old in history. He became the youngest International Master at 10 years old in 2024.
The moment that put him on the global map came in May 2024, when he beat Magnus Carlsen in an online bullet game. The clip went viral, and the chess world took notice of the kid they'd started calling the "Messi of Chess."
Carlsen himself has spoken highly of Oro. "He has a wonderful positional feeling for chess," Carlsen said. "He's on an incredible path."
The Youngest GM Club
Oro becomes just the seventh player in history to earn the grandmaster title before turning 13. The full list:
| # | Player | Country | Age | Year | |---|--------|---------|-----|------| | 1 | Abhimanyu Mishra | USA | 12y 4m 25d | 2021 | | 2 | Faustino Oro | Argentina | 12y 6m 26d | 2026 | | 3 | Sergey Karjakin | Ukraine | 12y 7m 0d | 2002 | | 4 | Gukesh D | India | 12y 7m 17d | 2019 | | 5 | Javokhir Sindarov | Uzbekistan | 12y 10m 10d | 2021 | | 6 | Praggnanandhaa R | India | 12y 10m 13d | 2018 | | 7 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Uzbekistan | 12y 10m 15d | 2019 |
The company is striking. Three of the seven players on that list are currently ranked in the world's top 10: Sindarov (No. 5), Gukesh (the reigning World Champion), and Abdusattorov (No. 4). Praggnanandhaa, at 19, is already a two-time Candidates participant.
Mishra, the only player to earn the title younger than Oro, is now 17 and back in the world's top 100 after recent strong results in Spanish tournaments.
Chess's Youth Movement Shows No Signs of Slowing
Oro's achievement comes during a period where young chess players are dominating the headlines. In the past month alone:
- 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus became the youngest to break 2700 after beating a former world champion 5-1
- 20-year-old Sindarov won the Candidates Tournament with the best score in modern history
- 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan became England's top-rated female player
Oro has said his next goal is reaching a 2600 rating. His current FIDE rating sits around 2530, putting him roughly in the top 250 players globally. For perspective, that's already higher than many career professionals ever reach.
He trains 5-6 hours daily. "With talent alone, you don't get anywhere," he said.
What's Next
Oro will represent Argentina on board one at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand this September, a stage that will test him against the world's strongest national teams. Before that, he's scheduled to play the Leon Masters in July.
His long-term ambition? Becoming world champion. Based on the trajectory of every other player on the under-13 GM list, that's not a dream. It's a realistic target.
Curious how your rating compares to a 12-year-old grandmaster? Try our chess rating percentile calculator to see where you stand.
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