9-Year-Old Dubbed 'Messi Of Chess' Youngest Ever To Score IM Norm

It started with a Chess.com account during the pandemic. Now 9-year-old FM Faustino Oro from Argentina has made history as the youngest player ever to score an IM norm.

The prodigy dubbed the "Messi of Chess" by Argentinian media made headlines in June when he crossed 2300 for the first time. He was the youngest player ever to do so, beating the former record set by Uzbek GM Javokhir Sindarov by over seven months. Just three months earlier, he had also become the youngest ever to break 2200. 

On September 17, Oro, nicknamed "Fausti," scored 6.5/9 and finished second in II Copa Ciudad, a round-robin tournament in Comodoro Rivadavia, southern Argentina. Remarkably, he went through the nine rounds undefeated and scored four wins and five draws. 

He finished off FM Andres Aguilar in round 5 excellently.

While Fausti was helped by several shorter draws throughout the tournament, he exhibited superb attacking skills as well, such as in this game in round seven.

Fausti finished a point behind the winner, GM Diego Flores, but tied with GM Neuris Delgado Ramirez, both grandmasters with whom he drew.

After the event, Flores was full of praise for Fausti.

“What I can tell you about Faustino is that he is an incredible boy. Here he confirmed what he has been doing in each tournament and how much is expected of him. It makes me happy to see him play, how he uses every resource in every position, and that he also continues an upward streak in his career," Flores told Infobae.

Oro's score was enough for his first IM norm, making him the youngest player in the history of the game to do so. GM Abhimanyu Mishra, who has the prestigious title of the world's youngest-ever grandmaster, also holds the record as the youngest-ever IM. He achieved that at 10 years, 9 months, and 3 days, 17 days earlier than GM R. Praggnanandhaa. As Fausti turns 10 on October 14, this means he has almost 10 months to break yet another record.

"Fausti is very happy to have achieved the norm, but the focus is always on improving the level of play," Fausti's father, Alejandro Oro, tells Chess.com. "When this happens, everything else follows naturally: norms, titles, and Elo ratings."

He says his son is particularly happy about only having lost one of his last 18 classical games. "That gives him more confidence to face the upcoming challenges," he says.

Asked about the record as the youngest player to score a norm, he says:

"We, as parents, are very proud, but we don't chase records. If they come, they are welcome, but Fausti's goal is to reach the elite of chess, and for that, you don't necessarily have to set records."

In the three weeks since the norm, Fausti has received plenty of media attention at home in Argentina. How does a 9-year-old deal with that?

"We try to make the exposure as gradual as possible, although sometimes it's quite challenging. He likes it when people talk about him in a positive way, but in general, he's not too fond of interviews. Pressure is something that comes with any high-level competitive sport, but he has the mindset of a bull, which makes it easier for him," Alejandro Oro says.

His father has previously talked about how he created an account on Chess.com for his son during the pandemic to prevent him from kicking a ball inside their home during lockdown, which has been essential for his progress. In August, FaustinoOro crossed 2900 for the first time in blitz. He is also creating content for ChessKid.com, where he has been doing a live show called "Fausti el pequeño gigante" (Fausti the little giant) in addition to being an ambassador for ChessKid throughout Latin America.

"I first came across Fausti when he started streaming on his own channel during the pandemic. The only thing worse than my chess skills are my Spanish skills, but even though I didn't understand what he was saying, his energy was infectious! I became a fan right away. Of course, he went on to become a very strong player too; perhaps a generational talent. My only hope is that he doesn't learn English. Otherwise, I'm out of a job for sure," Chesskid's CCO FM Mike Klein said.

Director of ChessKid Espanol, WIM Ivette Garcia Morales, says:

"I met Faustino Oro since at that time IM Jorge Rosito was both of their coaches. I remember Jorge Rosito telling me how talented a 7-year-old student named Faustino was. This was during the pandemic, and at that time both Faustino and I had a show, I remember how impressed I was at that first show."

With an October rating of 2358, Oro is well on the way to breaking 2400 as well. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov is currently the youngest to cross that mark when he had barely turned 10.5 years old.

He now targets becoming an international master, but the long-term goal is even higher.

"He wants to become a world champion, but the focus is on playing better than yesterday, and achieving that already brings him one step closer to the goal," Alejandro Oro concludes.