Chess is one of the oldest games in the world, played for over 1,500 years. It is a game of patience, deep thinking, and memory. For most of history, the best players were adults in their twenties, thirties, or even older. The idea of a child beating a world-class player was almost unthinkable.
In 1950, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) officially created the title of ‘Grandmaster’ to honour the very best players on the planet. Earning it requires years of hard training and outstanding results in very tough tournaments.
Most players take until their mid-twenties to get there, if they get there at all.
But today, something remarkable is happening. Children starting from the age of 12 are earning the grandmaster title. A few are even beating the world champion.
Chess records that stood for decades are being broken every year by these chess prodigies.
Top 5 Young Chess Prodigies Rewriting History
Here are five young prodigies who are rewriting the history-
1. Abhimanyu Mishra
Country: USA
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FIDE Ratings: 2638
Abhimanyu Mishra was born on February 5, 2009, and his story begins almost from the moment he could walk. His father, Hemant Mishra, introduced him to chess when he was just two years old. By the time he was five, he was already competing in real tournaments against much older players. At seven and a half, he became the youngest person in American chess history to reach a rating of 2000. By nine, he was the youngest national master in the United States.
But his biggest achievement came in June 2021, when Abhimanyu became the youngest grandmaster in chess history at just 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days old.
In September 2025, at age 16, he pulled off another historic feat by beating the reigning World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a classical game at the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament.
Right now, he is 17 years old and continuing to grow stronger. In April 2026, he won two consecutive open tournaments in Spain without losing a single game, scoring 7.5 out of 9 in each event. His FIDE rating has climbed to around 2638, placing him among the world’s top junior players.
2. Gukesh Dommaraju
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Country: India
FIDE Ratings: 2732
Gukesh Dommaraju was born on 29th May 2006 in Chennai, India. His mother is a microbiologist, and his father is an ENT surgeon. Gukesh started playing chess when he was seven years old. Within months of learning, his coach spotted his talent and entered him into official FIDE-rated tournaments right away.
By age 12, he had become India’s second-youngest-ever grandmaster. By 16, he had surpassed Viswanathan Anand to become the country’s top-rated player. Then, in 2024, Gukesh won the prestigious Candidates Tournament at just 17, becoming the youngest Candidates winner ever.
In December 2024, Gukesh faced Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship. In a match full of drama and close games, Gukesh won the final decisive game and became the 18th and youngest World Chess Champion in history at just 18 years and 195 days old.
Gukesh is 19 years old now and remains the reigning World Chess Champion. His 2026 has been a difficult one by results, as he finished last at Norway Chess and has publicly spoken about the challenge of staying motivated after achieving the sport’s ultimate prize so young.
3. Faustino Oro
Country: Argentina
FIDE Ratings: 2528
Faustino Oro was born in Buenos Aires on 14 October 2013. He started learning chess at age 6 from his father during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020. He played his first online games at home, and within months, it became clear that he was made for chess.
At nine, he became the youngest-ever player in history to reach a FIDE rating of 2300. At ten, he earned the International Master title. Also at ten, he beat five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in an online bullet game.
At just 11, he became the first player under the age of 12 in history to reach a 2500 FIDE rating.
In May 2026, just weeks after turning 12 and a half, Faustino earned his final grandmaster norm at the Sardinia World Chess Festival in Italy, officially becoming the second-youngest grandmaster in chess history.
Faustino is now 12 years old and just officially became a grandmaster in May 2026. His family relocated from Argentina to Barcelona, Spain, to give him access to stronger training and competition.
4. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
Country: India
FIDE Ratings: 2735
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was born on 10th August 2005 in Chennai. His father works as a bank manager, and his mother is a homemaker.
Praggnanandhaa and his older sister Vaishali made history together: they became the first brother and sister in chess history to both earn the grandmaster title.
He became the world’s youngest International Master at just 10 years and 10 months old in 2016. In 2018, at just 12 years, 10 months, and 13 days old, he became the second-youngest grandmaster in history.
His playing style is sharp, creative, and aggressive. In 2023, he reached the final of the World Chess Cup, losing to Magnus Carlsen in a thrilling tiebreak.
Last year, in 2025, he had his breakthrough season by winning several prestigious chess events, including the Tata Steel Chess tournament, the Superbet Chess Classic, and the FIDE Circuit 2025 overall title.
Recently, in June 2026, he won four Norway Chess classical games in a row to win the tournament, including beating the world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen twice in the same event.
He is the second person to beat Carlsen twice in classical chess in the same tournament, becoming the first Indian player ever to win Norway Chess.
5. Javokhir Sindarov
Country: Uzbekistan
FIDE Ratings: 2777
Javokhir Sindarov is the current sensation in the chess industry. He was born in Uzbekistan on December 8, 2008.
He became a grandmaster in October 2018 at age 12 years, 10 months, and 5 days. Sindarov is also a key part of the Uzbekistan national chess team, which has become one of the strongest in the world.
He helped his country win the gold medal at the 2022 Chess Olympiad, which is one of the biggest team tournaments in chess.
Sindarov’s defining moment came in 2025, when he won the FIDE World Cup. He became the youngest player in history to win this enormous event. That victory qualified him straight for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, and, in a further achievement, he went on to win the 2026 Candidates Tournament, earning the right to challenge the reigning World Chess Champion.
Now, at the age of 20, he is set to face Gukesh Dommaraju for the World Chess Championship later this year.
Also Read: Full List Of World Rapid Chess Championship Winners
