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Chess.com Names 12-Year-Old Faustino Oro Chess Kid of the Year as GM Bid Nears

The 12-year-old now needs one final norm by early March to challenge the youngest grandmaster record.

Overview

  • Oro earned high praise from Magnus Carlsen during an event in Oslo, with the champion lauding his positional understanding and making a high-profile comparison to Messi’s early promise.
  • He already holds two GM norms after standout results in Madrid on September 23 and in Buenos Aires on December 16, leaving a third norm as the remaining requirement.
  • FIDE recognized him as the top junior in a global vote conducted during the World Rapid & Blitz in Doha.
  • Spain’s Marca named him International Breakthrough Athlete in its year-end ‘Los 100 del deporte’ poll, where he led with 27.5% of the public vote.
  • At the World Rapid & Blitz, he finished 72nd of 252 in blitz with wins over Levon Aronian, Leinier Domínguez and Alan Pichot, and his FIDE rating rose to 2,547.