‘Messi of Chess’ Oro inches closer to becoming youngest GM

Argentinian chess prodigy Faustino Oro, dubbed the "Messi of Chess," has taken a major step toward becoming the youngest grandmaster in history. The 12-year-old earned his first grandmaster norm and crossed the 2500 Elo rating mark while winning the Legends and Prodigies tournament in Madrid — setting multiple world records along the way.

Oro is now the first player under 12 ever to achieve a 2500-plus rating. According to Chess.com, only India's Gukesh Dommaraju and Ukraine's Illya Nyzhnyk have earned a grandmaster norm at a younger age.

He now stands just two steps away from breaking the record held by Indian-origin GM Abhimanyu Mishra, who became a grandmaster at 12 years and four months. Oro, who turns 12 on October 14, has about five months to surpass that mark. He is expected to compete in upcoming tournaments such as the FIDE World Cup in Goa, the European Club Cup in Greece, and a closed event in Argentina.

Writing in his Guardian chess column, Leonard Barden praised Oro's versatility, saying: "Oro has a universal style. He can grind in marathon endings, crush opponents positionally, agree draws in under 10 moves, and score with imaginative attacks."

Earlier this year, Oro played five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in an exhibition match titled the "Clash of Generations" in Tuscany, where the Indian legend won 2-0.

Oro first gained global attention last year when, at just 10 years old, he defeated world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in an online Bullet Brawl game on Chess.com, forcing the Norwegian to resign after blundering a piece on the 48th move.