Nicknamed the "Messi of Chess," Faustino Oro won the "Legends & Prodigies" tournament in Madrid, Spain, last week, earning his first grandmaster (GM) norm of the three needed to claim the title. But who is this 11-year-old Argentinian prodigy?

A precocious genius. Chess player Faustino Oro won the 2025 “Legends & Prodigies” tournament in Madrid , Spain, with a score of 7.5/9, undefeated, at just 11 years old. This feat not only earned him his first Grandmaster (GM) norm, but also allowed him to achieve an Elo rating of 2.759, the highest ever recorded for a player under the age of 12. A prodigy from Argentina who has already been nicknamed the “Messi of Chess,” in reference to his compatriot Lionel Messi, who enjoyed the football career he is known for.

The young boy, who discovered chess in 2020, quickly distinguished himself thanks to his unique playing style, allowing him to prevail in long endgames, dominate positionally, and score points with original attacks. Former world champion Veselin Topalov notably described him as "the fastest-growing player in the world."

And indeed, in June 2024, he became the youngest ever FIDE Master, a title awarded to players who meet certain performance criteria, at the age of 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days. This record has since been broken by Roman Shogdzhiev last May.

On track to become the youngest grandmaster in history

The young champion made history again at the "Legends and Prodigies" tournament last month, earning his first International Grandmaster (IGM) norm at just 11 years old. Furthermore, his Elo rating of 2,509 made him the first player under the age of 12 to break the 2,500 Elo barrier.

Now, he has about four months left to get his second and third standards to beat the record of Abhimanyu Mishra , who became the youngest GM in history at 12.

"He's a genius, and it doesn't matter if he achieves the title of grandmaster in record time. Fausti's emergence is an achievement for Argentine chess, for those of us who love this game and who, for the first time in history, hope to see an Argentine among the elite of chess," his coach, Jorge Rosito, told the Argentine media Infobae .

Faustino Oro is expected to participate in the World Cup in Goa (India), the European Club Cup in Greece and a private tournament in Argentina.