Who is Faustino Oro? Argentine star known as 'Messi of Chess' misses youngest GM record by whisker

Faustino Oro is a 12-year-old chess prodigy from Argentina who has taken the chess world by storm and is widely known as the 'Messi of Chess' due to his extraordinary talent at a very young age.

Oro has now officially become the second-youngest Grandmaster (GM) in history, earning his final required GM norm at the Sardinia World Chess Festival 2026. The achievement came during his final round game against Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi.

He is currently 12 years old and has been regarded for years as one of the brightest talents in world chess. He became a household name in the chess world after beating five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in 2024 as a 10-year-old in an online game.

Who is Faustino Oro?

Faustino Oro's journey to the top has been remarkable. He first made headlines in 2023 when he reached a 2300 classical rating at just 9 years old, becoming the youngest player ever to do so at the time. He later became the youngest International Master (IM) in history in June 2024, before that record was eventually broken by someone else.

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Oro completed his three GM norms over a strong run of tournaments. His first came in Madrid in 2025, followed by his second at the Magistral Szmetan-Giardelli event in December 2025. His final norm came in Sardinia, where he confirmed his Grandmaster title with a round to spare.

He also made headlines at the Chess World Cup 2025, where he became the youngest player ever to win a match before being knocked out in the second round by Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi in tiebreaks.

Although he missed out on becoming the youngest GM in history by just two months, Oro’s rise has been nothing short of spectacular. That record stays with American-Indian GM Abhimanyu Mishra for now, who achieved the feat at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days.

He even received a huge praise from Carlsen, who said to him on a podcast, "Faustino is a lot better at 12 than Messi was at 12. He is on a good path. Just embrace it and enjoy it. One day, Messi will be lucky to be compared to you if you continue."