Shogdzhiev Smashes Oro’s Report To Develop into Youngest Worldwide Grasp In Historical past

The chess world has a brand new record-breaker. 10-year-old Roman Shogdzhiev from Russia has turn into the youngest Worldwide Grasp (IM) in historical past, smashing the document by over 5 months and reinforcing his standing as one of many chess world’s most enjoyable younger gamers.

The wave of astonishing outcomes by a few of the world’s best prodigies retains coming. A brand new milestone was set by Shogdzhiev on the RadnickiChess Could IM event in Belgrade, Serbia, which concluded on Sunday.

The ten-year-old tied for first place with high seed IM Md Imran, each ending on 7/9 factors, sufficient to safe the prodigy’s third and last IM norm.

Shogdzhiev constructed his outcomes early, scoring 5.5 factors within the first six rounds. He ended the event with three attracts, securing the required seven factors within the last spherical. 

Amongst his 5 wins was this one in opposition to 60-year-old GM Milko Popchev in spherical three:

In spherical 5 in opposition to 15-year-old FM Kush Bhagat, he confronted some strain within the opening, however swiftly capitalized on consecutive errors.

Shogdzhiev achieved his first norm on the similar occasion in December and adopted up on the Baku Open simply weeks in the past, the place he scored a 2513 efficiency and gained 43 ranking factors. With one other 30 factors added in Serbia, he has surpassed the 2400 ranking barrier and achieved all the necessities for the IM title.

Shogdzhiev, at 10 years, 3 months, and 21 days, has damaged the earlier document set by Argentina’s IM Faustino Oro in June 2024. Oro was aged 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days when he achieved his last norm.

Shogdzhiev turns into the fourth participant to realize the title earlier than the age of 11, following Oro, GM Abhimanyu Mishra (10 years, 9 months, and three days) and GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (10 years, 9 months, and 19 days). 

Shogdzhiev has positioned himself among the many most enjoyable prospects within the chess world at the moment. Alongside Oro, and Turkey’s 13-year-old GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, he’s setting information that may be unimaginable just some years in the past, which largely could be defined by the world surge of unbelievable skills witnessed for the reason that pandemic.

His mom Saglara Shogdzhieva shared insights into Roman’s early chess journey with Russian media, saying that her son found the sport on the age of 4 from his father. “I feel it was destiny, as a result of when my husband confirmed him the primary strikes, Roma by no means left that field once more. He each awakened with chess and fell asleep with it. In fact, he did not know all the foundations, however he made them up himself, he was very ,” she stated.

I feel it was destiny, as a result of when my husband confirmed him the primary strikes, Roma by no means left that field once more. He each awakened with chess and fell asleep with it.

—Roman Shogdzhiev’s mom Saglara

The world below eight and below 10 champion was simply eight years previous when he first attracted worldwide consideration. On the 2023 World Blitz & Speedy Championship in Uzbekistan, he  defeated 5 grandmasters, and the feat even caught the eye of GM Magnus Carlsen, who informed Norwegian TV, “It is enjoyable to see! Possibly we’ll see him on the very high in a number of years.” The 2 later met for a photograph on the occasion.

Since then, he has continued to ship notably spectacular performances in pace chess, the place he recurrently defeats grandmasters. In blitz final 12 months, he beat skilled GMs resembling Andrey Esipenko, Vladimir Potkin, Ernesto Inarkiev, and Aleksey Dreev.

Shogdzhiev was born in Elista, Kalmykia, a area as soon as synonymous with chess below former FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. The household now lives close to Moscow the place he’s sponsored by a regulation agency. The Russian Chess Federation has taken him below their wings, offering him with a complete of seven grandmaster coaches.

Amongst them, is two-time Russian Champion GM Evgeny Tomashevsky, as soon as ranked thirteenth on this planet. “There’s already a variety of strain on him, so I wouldn’t make any extra daring statements but. I’ll simply say that once you play like Roman at ten years previous, then if it’s not a singular case, it’s very near it,” he informed Russian newspaper Sports activities Specific.

I’ll simply say that once you play like Roman at ten years previous, then if it’s not a singular case, it’s very near it.

—Evgeny Tomashevsky

The teenager, who spends as much as six hours a day on chess, has been homeschooled since first grade and his mom stop her job to have the ability to educate her son at dwelling. “Our complete life is chess. We make all our plans relying on what lessons and tournaments Roman could have. That’s, they ask us, ‘When will you’ve a trip?’ however we do not have a trip, as a result of it might be used to pay for an additional event that Roman would possibly play,” she informed a Russian information web site.

The ten-year-old prodigy has now set his eyes on scoring grandmaster norms. “I need to be a world champion. And this 12 months I need to obtain a grandmaster norm. I feel it’s lifelike,” he informed Russian state-controlled information company Tass.

I need to be a world champion. And this 12 months I need to obtain a grandmaster norm. I feel it’s lifelike.

—Roman Shogdzhiev

Shogdzhiev is subsequent scheduled to play within the World Speedy & Blitz Workforce Championship, which takes place in London from June 11 to fifteen.