The term chess prodigy refers to a young child who possesses an aptitude for the game of chess that far exceeds what might be expected at their age. Their prodigious talent will often enable them to defeat experienced adult players and even titled chess masters. Some chess prodigies have progressed to become World Chess Champion.
Early chess prodigies
Early chess prodigies included Paul Morphy (1837–1884) and José Raúl Capablanca (1888–1942), both of whom won matches against strong adult opponents at the age of 12, and Samuel Reshevsky (1911–1992), who was giving simultaneous exhibitions at the age of six.[1] Morphy went on to be unofficial World Champion (before the official title existed), Capablanca became the third World Champion, and Reshevsky—while never attaining the title—was amongst the top few players in the world for many decades.
Arturo Pomar (1931-2016) was another to be labelled a prodigy by chess writers.[2][3] He played his first international tournament (Madrid 1943) at the age of 11 and went on to become Spain's first grandmaster.
Youngest to defeat a grandmaster
There is often widespread attention when a young player defeats a Grandmaster, whether in a standard tournament game or less formal conditions.
Formal conditions
The youngest player to defeat a grandmaster under standard time controls is Awonder Liang, who in 2012 defeated Larry Kaufman at the Washington International at the age of 9 years and 111 days.[4]
The previous record was set in 2009, when Hetul Shah defeated GM Nurlan Ibrayev at the age of nine years and six months at the Parsvnath Open.[5][6]
Informal conditions
In 1999, David Howell defeated John Nunn in a blitz game at the age of eight.[6]
In 1976, a ten-year-old Nigel Short beat Viktor Korchnoi as a participant in a simultaneous exhibition, the only game Korchnoi lost in the event.[6]
In March 2021, 10-year-old Frederick Waldhausen Gordon, from Scotland, won against GM Bogdan Lalic in an online rapid 10+5 game in the ECF Grand Prix Rapid Event 1 held on lichess.org.[7][8][9]
List of youngest grandmasters
Since 1950, when the Grandmaster (GM) title was introduced by FIDE, one measure of chess prodigies is the age at which they gain the GM title. Below are players who have held the record for the youngest grandmaster. The record is currently held by Abhimanyu Mishra. The age listed is the age at which they qualified for the title. This is not equal to the age at which they officially became grandmasters, because GM titles can only be awarded at FIDE congresses. The nationality listed is the player's nationality at the time of gaining the title, not their current or later nationality.
| Year | Player | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | David Bronstein | Template:URS | 26 years |
| 1952 | Tigran Petrosian | Template:URS | 23 years |
| 1955 | Boris Spassky | Template:URS | 18 years |
| 1958 | Bobby Fischer | Template:USA | 15 years, 6 months, 1 day |
| 1991 | Judit Polgár | Template:HUN | 15 years, 4 months, 28 days |
| 1994 | Péter Lékó | Template:HUN | 14 years, 4 months, 22 days |
| 1997 | Étienne Bacrot | Template:FRA | 14 years, 2 months, 0 days |
| 1997 | Ruslan Ponomariov | Template:UKR | 14 years, 0 months, 17 days |
| 1999 | Bu Xiangzhi | Template:CHN | 13 years, 10 months, 13 days |
| 2002 | Sergey Karjakin | Template:UKR | 12 years, 7 months, 0 days |
| 2021 | Abhimanyu Mishra | Template:USA | 12 years, 4 months, 25 days |
This is a list of the players who became Grandmasters before their 14th birthday.
| Player | Country | Age | Birth year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abhimanyu Mishra | Template:USA | 12 years, 4 months, 25 days | 2009 |
| Sergey Karjakin | Template:UKR | 12 years, 7 months, 0 days | 1990 |
| Gukesh D | Template:IND | 12 years, 7 months, 17 days | 2006 |
| Javokhir Sindarov | Template:UZB | 12 years, 10 months, 5 days | 2005 |
| Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Template:IND | 12 years, 10 months, 13 days | 2005 |
| Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Template:UZB | 13 years, 1 month, 11 days | 2004 |
| Parimarjan Negi | Template:IND | 13 years, 4 months, 22 days | 1993 |
| Magnus Carlsen | Template:NOR | 13 years, 4 months, 27 days | 1990 |
| Wei Yi | Template:CHN | 13 years, 8 months, 23 days[10] | 1999 |
| Raunak Sadhwani | Template:IND | 13 years, 9 months, 28 days[11] | 2005 |
| Bu Xiangzhi | Template:CHN | 13 years, 10 months, 13 days | 1985 |
| Samuel Sevian | Template:USA | 13 years, 10 months, 27 days[12] | 2000 |
| Richárd Rapport | Template:HUN | 13 years, 11 months, 6 days[13] | 1996 |
Note: Karjakin has changed countries since attaining the grandmaster title.
List of youngest female grandmasters
Below are the holders of the record for the youngest female player to become a grandmaster (not to be confused with the lesser Woman Grandmaster title):
| Year | Player | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Nona Gaprindashvili | Template:URS | 37 years |
| 1984 | Maia Chiburdanidze | Template:URS | 23 years |
| 1991 | Susan Polgar | Template:HUN | 21 years |
| 1991 | Judit Polgár | Template:HUN | 15 years, 4 months |
| 2002 | Humpy Koneru | Template:IND | 15 years 1 month |
| 2008 | Hou Yifan | Template:CHN | 14 years, 6 months[14] |
References
- ↑ Chess prodigies and mini-grandmasters(10 January 2006). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ↑ The World of Chess{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.(1974). ISBN 0-394-48777-X
- ↑ Guinness Chess, The Records{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Guinness Publishing Ltd(1986). ISBN 0851124550
- ↑ Awonder Liang Now World's Youngest Grandmaster(10 August 2017). Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ↑ 9-Year-Old Defies the Ratings and Defeats a Grandmaster. The New York Times(17 January 2009). Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 9-year-old Hetul Shah (India) youngest ever to beat a GM(31 August 2011). Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ↑ news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ Rapid Chess • FREDERICKtheMATE vs GM BogdanLalic.
- ↑ ECF Grand Prix Rapid Event 1 by ECF Online Rapid Grand Prix Series 2021: Standard 10+5 #ILOHq9MS.
- ↑ Wei Yi has become the youngest GM in the world Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Raunak Sadhwani becomes India's 65th Grandmaster. The Hindu(20 October 2019).Raunak Sadhwani becomes India's 65th Grandmaster. The Hindu(20 October 2019).
- ↑ Youngest-ever American Chess Grandmaster crowned in St. Louis(23 November 2014). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ↑ Richard Rapport Becomes Hungary's Youngest Grandmaster - Chessdom. players.chessdom.com. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ↑ WWCC - Nalchik 2008 - and now there are just four! Template:Webarchive, FIDE web site, September 9, 2008