Going for the record
Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro is set to compete in the Aeroflot Open in Moscow, where he will attempt to become the youngest grandmaster in chess history. At just 12 years of age, Oro will enter one of the strongest open events on the international calendar with the specific aim of securing his third and final GM norm.
The 21st edition of the Aeroflot Open will be played from 27 February to 6 March at The Carlton in Moscow, and forms part of the FIDE Circuit 2026–2027 within the World Championship cycle. The tournament is played at a 60+30 time control. There will be three days with double rounds in the event.
In the first part of the video series, we will look at White’s four main moves: 6. Bg5, 6. Be3, 6. Be2 and 6. Bc4.Schedule
| Round |
Date |
Time (local) |
| 1 |
February 28 |
17:00 |
| 2 |
March 1 |
12:00 |
| 3 |
March 1 |
17:00 |
| 4 |
March 2 |
12:00 |
| 5 |
March 2 |
17:00 |
| 6 |
March 3 |
17:00 |
| 7 |
March 4 |
12:00 |
| 8 |
March 4 |
17:00 |
| 9 |
March 5 |
12:00 |
Out of the 180 registered participants, 110 either represent Russia or play under the FIDE flag, while the second and third-biggest contingents hail from Iran (17 players) and India (16). Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many international players choose not to participate in tournaments that take place in Russia.
The tournament will take place at the Carlton Hotel in Moscow | Photo: Official website
Oro arrives in Moscow with two GM norms already secured.
- His first norm came in Madrid at the end of September last year. He won the Legends & Prodigies tournament with an undefeated 7½/9 score, surpassing the 2500 rating threshold in the process.
- At the Argentine Championship in Buenos Aires, played at the start of December, he failed to get the second norm, but managed a strong 6½/11 performance.
- The second norm was achieved at the very next chance, in the Magistral Szmetan-Giardelli, also played in Buenos Aires. A final-round draw earned him a TPR of 2608 and lifted his Elo to 2516.
With the rating requirement already met, the remaining obstacle is the completion of a third norm in a suitably strong event.
Born on 14 October 2013, Oro must achieve his final norm before 11 March 2026 in order to break the current age record held by Abhimanyu Mishra, who became a grandmaster at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days. This leaves the Aeroflot Open as his last opportunity to do so.
The Moscow field underlines the scale of the task. Registered participants include two-time World Championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, along with Andrey Esipenko (who is set to play in the Candidates next month), Daniil Dubov, Alexander Grischuk and Raunak Sadhwani, among others. A total of 14 players rated 2600 or above will be in the mix, with Oro entering the competition as the 35th seed - notably, he is the highest-rated IM in the field, as all 34 higher-rated participants are GMs.
For Oro, the tournament represents a sustained test against experienced opposition over the nine rounds of the event.
Oro comes from scoring 7/13 points and a 2575 TPR at the Tata Steel Challengers tournament. Whether or not the final norm is achieved in Moscow, the Aeroflot Open will mark a significant milestone in the early career of one of the most closely followed young players in contemporary chess.
Registered participants
Our experts show, using the games of Botvinnik, how to employ specific openings successfully, which model strategies are present in specific structures, how to find tactical solutions and rules for how to bring endings to a successful conclusion...180 players
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