Meet 11-Year-Old Faustino Oro, Called ‘Messi of Chess,’ Whom Even Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa Watch

Argentina’s 11-year-old chess sensation, Faustino Oro, has been making waves at the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament.

Argentina’s 11-year-old chess sensation, Faustino Oro, has been making waves at the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. Oro, an International Master (IM), grabbed global attention after defeating Indian IM Divya Deshmukh in round seven. His victory even caused world chess champion D Gukesh and Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa to momentarily pause their own games to watch the young prodigy in action. The two chess giants were seen amazed by Oro’s incredible performance as they followed his game closely, especially during his victory over Divya.

Faustino Oro, often compared to Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, is known as the “Messi of Chess” for his early introduction to the game and his extraordinary talent. Born on October 14, 2013, in Buenos Aires, Oro achieved the IM title in 2024 at just 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days, breaking the record previously held by American GM Abhimanyu Mishra. However, Oro’s record stood for less than a year, as Roman Shogdzhiev of Russia shattered it earlier this month by attaining the IM norm at just 9 years, 10 months, and 7 days.

Oro’s remarkable achievements also include defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a weekly Bullet Brawl tournament organized by Chess.com in 2024. A year prior, in 2023, he became the youngest player ever to achieve a classical chess rating of 2300–a record later surpassed by England’s Ethan Pang in November 2024.

At the ongoing Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Oro currently has 2.5 points out of a possible seven and continues to impress the chess world with his exceptional skills. With his meteoric rise, the 11-year-old has firmly established himself as a future superstar in the world of chess.

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