Faustino Oro, a 12-year-old from Buenos Aires known in Argentina as the "Messi of chess," has been formally awarded the grandmaster title by the World Chess Federation, FIDE, making him the second-youngest player ever to earn the sport's highest title.
Oro completed his third and final grandmaster norm — the qualifying results required for the title — at the Sardinia World Chess Festival in May, at 12 years, six months and 26 days old, according to Chess.com's coverage of his qualification. FIDE does not award titles automatically once norms are completed; approval has to come from its ruling council. That confirmation arrived at the federation's second council meeting of 2026, held online on Aug. 23, with the decision published five days later.
Behind only one record
Oro's title places him behind only American grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra, who set the outright record in 2021 at 12 years, four months and 25 days old, edging out Oro by roughly two months. Oro's achievement pushes Russian-born grandmaster Sergey Karjakin, whose 2002 record of 12 years and seven months had stood for nearly two decades before Mishra broke it, further down the all-time list. FIDE's own announcement called Oro's rise one of the fastest title climbs in the sport's modern history.
Oro began playing competitively as a young child and drew comparisons to the football great both for his nationality and for a playing style commentators have described as aggressive and intuitive beyond his years. He has already faced, and in some cases beaten, established grandmasters in rapid and blitz events broadcast online, building a following well beyond Argentina's traditional chess community.
Chess federations have documented a downward trend in the average age of new grandmasters over the past two decades, driven partly by online coaching tools and engine-assisted training that let young players study far more games than earlier generations could. Oro is expected to compete in open tournaments in Europe this fall, where he will face full grandmaster fields for the first time carrying the title rather than chasing it.