Meet the ‘Messi of Chess’ Who Is Breaking Records Worldwide

Faustino Oro has officially became the second youngest Grandmaster in history of the chess at the age of just 12 years, 6 months and 26 days. This Argentine sensation has achieved the milestone after securing his final Grandmaster norm at the Sardinia World Chess Festival 2026 in Italy. He also nicknamed as ‘Messi of Chess’ and already been compared with some of the greatest talents.

Faustino Oro Second Youngest Grandmaster Ever

The young Argentine has reached the historic milestone by completing his final in GM norm at the Sardinia World Chess Festival in Italy.

After this achievement Faustino Oro now stands behind only the Abhimanyu Mishra who became the youngest Grandmaster in history in the year2021 at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days.

The Grandmaster title is the highest title awarded in the chess given by FIDE which is the international governing body of chess.

There are only seven players who have managed to become the Grandmasters before turning 13 years old.

Players Who Became Grandmasters Before Age 13

• Abhimanyu Mishra
• Sergey Karjakin
• D Gukesh
• Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus
• Javokhir Sindarov
• R Praggnanandhaa
• Faustino Oro

This remarkable list includes the some of the biggest modern names in the chess.

Why Faustino Oro is Called the ‘Messi of Chess’

He was born in Buenos Aires and his extraordinary talent and Argentine roots have earned him the nickname of ‘Messi of Chess’ which is inspired by football legend Lionel Messi.

The comparison is not only because of his nationality but also because of the young player’s incredible rise at an early age.

Also chess experts have praised the Oro for his maturity, positional understanding and fearless playing style against elite opponents.

The Match That Made the World Notice Him

His popularity exploded globally in the year 2024 after he defeated five time world champion Magnus Carlsen in an online game at just 10 years old.

Although online games are different from the classical tournament formats and by defeating a player which is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time immediately drew worldwide attention.

Since then Oro has continued to impress the chess fans worldwide with consistent performances in international tournaments.

The Heartbreak Which Have Delayed History

Before creating the history in Italy Oro has came very close to becoming the youngest Grandmaster ever earlier in 2026.

During the Aeroflot Open in Moscow and he needed one final result to break the all-time record.

However this Russian teenager Aleksey Grebnev defeated him in the final round.

That defeat have delayed the historic achievement by just a few months.