Canada’s youngest ever IM Aaron Mendes has gained the Beneath 13 ChessKid Youth Championship after defeating FM-elect Megan Paragua 5-3 within the closing. Paragua bought a late likelihood to play within the knockout after FM-elect Supratit Banerjee was compelled to tug out due to a conflict, and he or she got here inside a draw of clinching the title. As an alternative Mendes gained on demand to drive tiebreaks, after which gained each video games to select up the $1,500 high prize.
Knockout Bracket
The one piece of excellent information for the contestants within the Beneath 13 ChessKid Youth Championship was that GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, the winner of each the Beneath 13 and Beneath 16 classes in 2024, has turned 13 and is not eligible for the youthful class. The Turkish prodigy needed to accept profitable the weekend’s Bullet Brawl as an alternative, forward of the likes of GM Hikaru Nakamura.
There have been 12 gamers within the hunt on Saturday, break up, roughly based mostly on time zones, into two teams of 12 gamers, with the top-two in every group set to qualify for Sunday’s knockout. There would, nonetheless, be a twist.
Group A: Golish, Chakrabarty Qualify
Reigning Beneath 12 European Youth Chess Champion FM Wiktor Golis from Poland dominated from the beginning of Group A, delivering checkmate in 22 strikes in spherical one in opposition to the eventual runner-up, FM Reyaansh Chakrabarty from Australia.
Golis gained 4 of his first 5 video games, and a slight mid-tournament wobble did no hurt.
Chakrabarty adopted that opening loss with a shaky draw in opposition to the youngest participant within the occasion, nine-year-old CM Ashwath Kaushik (who beat a grandmaster on the age of eight!), however then he stormed to 5 wins in a row, together with a revenge checkmate in opposition to Golis. He might afford to lose the ultimate sport and nonetheless qualify, and may very well be forgiven for struggling on the finish, for the reason that 11-year-old revealed that it was the primary time he was awake by no means thoughts enjoying a chess event at 1 a.m.!
Chakrabarty was nonetheless comfortable to be interviewed, telling FM Mike Klein and GM Ben Finegold, “Once I was youthful I used to at all times watch ChessKid movies and it’s good to lastly be interviewed by ChessKid,” and was refreshingly humble, saying of his probabilities, “I believed I used to be one of many heavy underdogs—I believed I’d don’t have any likelihood at coming first or second, I believed 3-4/10 factors can be fortunate.”
Nonetheless, that does not imply he isn’t bold!
11-year-old Reyaansh Chakrabaty, who certified for tomorrow’s #ChessKid Championship Semifinals at 1am in Australia, says his aim is to change into the world’s youngest ever GM, or a minimum of the youngest Australian! pic.twitter.com/A40tBQqof5
— chess24 (@chess24com) Might 3, 2025
“I am very prone to break that document,” he stated of GM Anton Smirnov‘s document of turning into Australia’s youngest GM on the age of 16, including:
Firstly my aim proper now’s to change into the youngest on the planet, as my classical FIDE ranking is 2346. I’m sort of aiming to change into the youngest on the planet. If not, I’ll attempt to change into by 13, or a minimum of by 14. I believe I’ve an excellent likelihood at turning into a grandmaster by a younger age.
I am sort of aiming to change into the youngest on the planet.
—Reyaansh Chakrabaty on turning into a grandmaster
There have been additionally scheduling points within the second group.
Group B: Banerjee, Mendes Qualify
Each English gamers, 10-year-old WFM Bodhana Sivanandan and 11-year-old Banerjee, have been enjoying within the closing weekend of the British 4 Nations Chess League (4NCL). Banerjee made a draw in opposition to GM Simon Williams earlier than occurring to dominate the ChessKid occasion and qualify for the knockout with a spherical to spare. He stated afterward:
I performed a grandmaster, I had a protracted sport, however I managed to attract and I nonetheless felt I had fairly a little bit of vitality for this event, so I used to be fairly excited to play.
High-seed Mendes, who in 2023 beat IM Faustino Oro on the way in which to profitable the ChessKid Youth Velocity Chess Championship, additionally bought off to a fantastic 3.5/4 begin, however got here below a problem from Paragua, who after a really gradual begin beat Banerjee within the first sport of a three-game profitable streak.
Megan Paragua grabs a 1st win and strikes as much as 4th place! https://t.co/Z6MCGhQzkD pic.twitter.com/TmPPxgD7QO
— chess24 (@chess24com) Might 3, 2025
Going into the ultimate spherical, issues have been arrange nearly completely, with Paragua trailing by half some extent however enjoying Mendes.
Supratit Banerjee is thru to tomorrow’s ChessKid Beneath 13 Championship Semifinals, however now we have an ideal closing spherical, with Megan Paragua taking up Aaron Mendes in a must-win sport for qualification! https://t.co/TGHxZmHalu pic.twitter.com/SSe66oBqV2
— chess24 (@chess24com) Might 3, 2025
Mendes had White, nonetheless, and appeared to play an ideal stable sport the place his opponent was compelled to take dangers and went on to lose. It was curious afterward, then, to study that Mendes was unaware he solely wanted a draw!
I used to be not conscious of it, since I used to be not trying on the standings after spherical 5. I used to be not anxious that I wanted solely a draw. I ought to have checked the standings!
Paragua, who lately certified for the FM title by crossing 2300 on the stay scores in the course of the Grenke Open, seemed to have simply missed out, however she would get a reprieve!
Knockout: Mendes Beats Paragua To Win Title In Tiebreaks
Because the begin time of the ultimate day could not be pushed again—Chakrabarty was already beginning at 1 a.m. in Australia—Banerjee was compelled to drop out, since his 4NCL sport in opposition to English FM Martin Taylor was in a tense middlegame. The excellent news for the child was that he took over and gained in fashion, choosing up one other 10 ranking factors.
The 4NCL’s acquire was the ChessKid Youth Championship’s loss, however Paragua had been on standby and took full benefit. She gained two battling video games to take a 2-0 lead within the four-game semifinal, and although Golis hit again easily to win sport three he could not win the subsequent sport on demand—because the Polish star pushed for a win within the queen endgame he bought checkmated as an alternative by the U.S. rising expertise.
US FM-elect Megan Paragua delivers checkmate to succeed in the ultimate of the Beneath 13 ChessKid Championship, the place she’ll play Canadian IM Aaron Mendes! https://t.co/Amu8zr1Mqr pic.twitter.com/FUQyxmKlp0
— chess24 (@chess24com) Might 4, 2025
Mendes, in the meantime, ensured Chakrabarty would not must play previous 2 a.m. by profitable their semifinal 2.5-0.5. He bought off to the proper begin with a checkmating assault within the first sport.
Chakrabarty’s finest likelihood got here in sport two, however on the finish he took a draw by repetition able the place he was nonetheless higher however decrease on time. Mendes clinched the match with a trademark endgame victory—his method was spectacular all through the event.
That meant a Paragua-Mendes Remaining, and given Mendes had gained their mini-match 2-0 within the group stage, the one IM within the event appeared to be the clear favourite.
WFM Megan Paragua was a late substitute for the U-13 knockout however gained her semifinal 3-1! 🤯
She faces IM Aaron Mendes within the closing! pic.twitter.com/hM6LFKnsf8
— ChessKid.com 👑 (@ChessKidcom) Might 4, 2025
That evaluation hadn’t modified when within the first sport he transformed a profitable dynamic place right into a secure two-pawn benefit. Issues would quickly get uncontrolled, nonetheless, with Mendes saying total of the Remaining, “I normally wish to play with a little bit of time additional after which with the chaos I simply spent an excessive amount of time calculating, so I additionally made a whole lot of errors.”
Paragua not simply equalized however gained a profitable place close to the top, earlier than a 100-move draw.
All the youngsters confirmed admirable composure in the course of the occasion, however Mendes revealed afterward that he was fuming at lacking the win!
I used to be actually mad at that. I used to be so mad, I used to be simply making an attempt to do deep respiratory! I’m undecided if my video was up, however my face was so offended. I used to be usually offended, however I simply attempt to breathe in and breathe out and attempt to calm myself down.
I used to be so mad, I used to be simply making an attempt to do deep respiratory!
—Aaron Mendes on lacking a win within the first sport of the ultimate
The restoration did not occur quick, as Paragua went on to take the lead with a glowing assault in sport two, after Mendes had missed a fleeting likelihood to get a profitable place himself (21.gxh7+! as an alternative of 21.gxf7+?). By the point 28…Rxb2+!! appeared on the board Black was crashing via.
Mendes then hit again with a formidable endgame grind, choosing up a pawn and easily changing to stage the scores at 1.5-1.5.
That then grew to become 2-2 after an insane sport the place Paragua discovered a perpetual verify to avoid wasting a tough place, however then as an alternative of taking the draw determined to play on. It nearly paid off, although alongside the way in which Mendes himself missed a two-move profitable sequence, in order that the draw that adopted—the place Black had 5 (!) handed pawns—was very a lot honest for each side.
Each side missed wins on the finish of a wild draw, with the ultimate tied 2-2, with 2 video games to go! https://t.co/cqeE67U3iQ pic.twitter.com/U7uwcrnKlO
— chess24 (@chess24com) Might 4, 2025
The Remaining was best-of-six, in order that when Paragua went on to win sport 5, giving checkmate on transfer 62, it meant she was solely a draw away from clinching the title. Mendes admitted he was “actually scared” going into the must-win sport, and when requested if he’d performed such video games earlier than he commented, “I’ve for my IM norms, however I normally messed that up and didn’t truly win!”
Paragua prevented the same old mistake in such positions of enjoying strictly for a draw, and actually gained a greater place with the black items, however the pure assault she went for proved to be a mistake. As an alternative Mendes was in a position to hit again with a profitable assault of his personal.
The tiebreaks have been one other two 3+1 video games, to be adopted, if required, by armageddon. Within the first, Mendes exploited a tactical mistake to interrupt via with a mating assault on the black king, in order that it was now Paragua who wanted to win on demand with the white items to extend the match.
She nearly managed, however though Stockfish was giving her place as nearly a full-piece benefit it was a type of instances the place the analysis appears to come back primarily from a bonus in area. Black was stage in materials, and a few less-than-obvious errors allowed Mendes to not solely equalize however take over.
Congratulations to 12-year-old Canadian IM Aaron Mendes on profitable the Beneath 13 #ChessKid Youth Championship after a fantastic battle in opposition to FM Megan Paragua went to tiebreaks! 🎉🏆 pic.twitter.com/EjHmPzB8Z5
— chess24 (@chess24com) Might 4, 2025
So Paragua had nearly pulled off a fairy-tale win on a day she wasn’t initially speculated to play, however in the long run it was Mendes who took the title and the $1,500 high prize. Paragua took $1,000 as runner-up.
That is all for the Beneath 13 part, however in a month’s time, June 7-8, we’ll have the Beneath 16 part, which is ready to characteristic a mouth-watering lineup together with defending champion Erdogmus and the likes of Oro and high feminine stars IMs Alice Lee and Lu Miaoyi.
Do not miss it!
The ChessKid Youth Championship is Chess.com’s high occasion for the subsequent technology of the chess elite. The under-13 part happened Might 3-4, with two six-player teams the place the gamers competed in a double round-robin. The highest two gamers certified for the knockout, the place the semifinal was best-of-four and the ultimate best-of-six. All video games have been performed with the three+1 time management and the prize fund was $5,000, with $1,500 for first place.
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