Argentinian chess prodigy Faustino Oro came very close to making history at the Aeroflot Open 2026 in Moscow, but narrowly missed the chance to become the youngest grandmaster in chess history. Despite the disappointment, the 12-year-old remained confident that he will soon achieve the prestigious title.
Oro needed just one more victory in the final round of the tournament to secure his final grandmaster norm. However, he lost the decisive game against Russian grandmaster Aleksey Grebnev and finished one point short of the requirement.
Faustino Oro Performance
The fifth round is the halfway point in a tournament, and Faustino Oro had managed to accumulate 3.5 of a possible 5 points, with one draw against Indian Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani.
There were several highlights for Oro during the tournament, including turning a lost game into a spectacular victory, indicating he has matured beyond his years.
Not everything went smoothly for Faustino Oro during the tournament, however, as he suffered a loss to Grandmaster Ivan Rozum in Round 6, which made it even more challenging for him to achieve the final norm.
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Despite this, Oro maintained his hopes alive and bounced back with two victories in Rounds 7 and 8, displaying great nerve and determination. One of those wins featured a beautiful checkmate that involved sacrificing a rook, while the other win exhibited his strong endgame play.
Before the final round, Oro knew what he had to do to achieve the final norm. If he won his final round game with the black pieces against Aleksey Grebnev, he would achieve the final norm and break the record of Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra of being the youngest-ever GM.
Abhimanyu Mishra became a Grandmaster in 2021 at the age of 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, and Faustino Oro would have surpassed him by several days had he won in the final round.
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Faustino Oro Reacts On Grandmaster Record MISS
After the game, Faustino Oro admitted that he was not satisfied with his performance in the final round.
“I didn’t play badly overall, but today I didn’t play a good game,” he said while speaking to Spanish news agency EFE. “My opponent gave me chances to win, but the game should have been better.”
Although he was disappointed about missing the record, Oro remained confident about the future.
“The good thing is that I will probably get the norm soon. Without the record, but I will become a grandmaster soon,” he said.
Ian Nepomniachtchi On Faustino Oro Performance
The tournament was eventually won by Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, who finished with 7.5 points out of 9 games. Nepomniachtchi also praised the young Argentinian for his impressive performance during the event.
“He is undoubtedly an extraordinary talent,” Nepomniachtchi said, noting that Oro performed even better than many had expected.
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Faustino Oro ended the tournament with 5.5 points from nine games, finishing 27th among 169 participants and gaining several rating points. While he acknowledged that the missed opportunity was disappointing, he still considered the event a valuable experience.
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