Ukrainian Prodigy Ihor Samunenkov Becomes World's Youngest Grandmaster

It may not be a record, but it is still a major achievement: the world has a new youngest grandmaster—14-year-old Ukrainian prodigy GM Ihor Samunenkov.

The teenager’s title has been confirmed by the world chess federation FIDE this month after he met all the requirements on September 26 last year.

As a new grandmaster Samunenkov, who became Ukrainian champion aged just 12, inherits the mantle from U.S. GM Abhimanyu Mishra, who will be 15 next month.

Having become a GM at 14 years, three months, and 15 days old, Samunenkov sits within the top-25 youngest grandmasters of all time.

Mishra still holds the record for the youngest grandmaster in history. Mishra was 12 years, four months, and 25 days old when he achieved the feat in June 2021.

Samunenkov, from Kyiv, is currently rated 2533 by FIDE. On Chess.com he has a blitz rating of 2838. The youngster has been considered a rising star in chess since he started playing professionally aged eight.

He became an FM in 2021, a year when he beat four grandmasters in the World Rapid Championship in Warsaw for a 2583 rating performance. In round two he drew with legendary GM Aleksey Dreev. 

12-year-old Ihor Samunenkov is a rising star from Ukraine. In 2021 he became the national rapid champion (not youth, but an overall one!) and a few days ago he defeated the youngest-ever GM Abhimanyu Mishra to claim gold at the FIDE Online Cadets and Youth Rapid Super Final U12. pic.twitter.com/yqqkepcLLo

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 26, 2021

He became an IM a year later, and then had his GM title ratified by the FIDE Council in 2023.

Three “norms” and a rating above 2500 are required by FIDE to award the title. Samunenkov achieved his first norm at the European Individual Championships in Slovenia in 2022. His second was at the Vezerkepzo Summer tournament in Budapest, Hungary, in July last year.

Samunenkov got his final norm at the Polish Team Championship in Lublin at the end of September, where he beat four GMs. He passed the rating requirement in April 2023.

In October, shortly after his GM application was lodged, Samunenkov drew with Ukrainian legend Vasyl Ivanchuk in round one of the FIDE Grand Swiss, a tournament he played as a FIDE wild card.

A battle of the ages between two Ukrainian players today: Vasyl Ivanchuk, born in 1969 and one of the oldest players in the field, takes on Ihor Samunenkov, one of the youngest participants, born in 2009. #FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/Qjt1IdbNPs

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) October 25, 2023

Asked after that game if he aimed to be world champion one day, Samunenkov said: “Yes of course, I think it’s the aim of everyone.”

Samunenkov's achievement has been heralded at home by Ukraine's Ministry of Youth and Sports. In a statement issued to media, it said: "By the decision of the third FIDE Council, 14-year-old Kyivan Igor Samunenkov has been conferred the title of Grandmaster."

Ukrainian GM Mikhail Golubev told Chess.com: "After GM Kirill Shevchenko decided to play for Romania, it can be said with confidence that Ihor Samunenkov is definitely the main chess hope of Ukraine. I saw him and witnessed him playing when I played in a rapid tournament in Kyiv, where he lives, in 2022. An impressively serious boy!"

Samunenkov is just the latest in a line of Ukrainian talent to reach grandmaster at a young age. In 2002, GM Ruslan Ponomariov became the youngest FIDE chess world champion in history at the age of 18, after earning the grandmaster title aged 14 years and 17 days. 

GM Sergey Karjakin was also representing Ukraine when he broke the record, later taken by Mishra, aged 12 years and seven months.

Who could succeed Samunenkov as the world's youngest grandmaster? Two candidates are 13-year-old U.S. IM Andy Woodward and Turkish 12-year-old IM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who have both already met the 2500 rating requirement and now need to complete their GM norms.