Though the current world chess champion is only 18, the winner of the Tata Steel Masters is only 19 and six out of ten players in the world top ten are 25 or younger, it is still impressive to see how quickly players as young as 11 continue to make an impact in the chess world. The Challengers section of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament provided yet another demonstration of the increasing levels reached by young chess players.
The three youngest participants in the Challengers tournament were Faustino Oro from Argentina, aged 11; Lu Miaoyi from China, aged 14; and Ediz Gürel from Türkiye, aged 16. Among them, only Lu managed to gain rating points in Wijk aan Zee, though all three players secured at least three wins. Their performances, in the same hall as luminaries such as Gukesh Dommaraju, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, were closely observed by chess enthusiasts and analysts alike.
The Chinese prodigy started strong in Wijk, with two wins with White and two draws with Black, leaving her atop the standings. In this stage, she defeated two higher-rated players: Kazybek Nogerbek and Frederik Svane. In rounds 5-7, she lost once, against Benjamin Bok, and defeated Divya Deshmukh, keeping her +2 score.
Unfortunately for her, the second half of the event did not go well, with four losses and three draws, leaving her with a -2 score in the end. The 14-year-old ended the event with three losses in a row.
As is frequent with youngsters nowadays, Lu showed great calculation abilities in her strongest games. Only a lack of consistency prevented her from fighting for the top spots in the lengthy event.
The youngest-ever International Master in the world only signed a draw throughout the thirteen rounds of play. The Argentine star was seen confident in what were his first interviews in a world-class event, and also showed that confidence on the board. Still, it is likely that the "Messi of chess" would have preferred to collect fewer losses in Wijk, as he suffered nine losses in the event. He also grabbed three wins, though, which was enough for a final 3½/13 score.
Oro defeated Lu, Divya and Irina Bulmaga, showing that he was not dispirited by the many losses he suffered against higher-rated opponents. Starting on February 14, Oro will again play in a strong round-robin event, as he will face the likes of David Navara and Vasyl Ivanchuk at the Djerba Chess Festival in Tunisia.
The oldest player in this group is also the highest-rated. With a 2624 rating, the Turkish ace is ranked 8th among junior players in the world. In the top 20 of this list, only four players are aged 16 or younger, and he is one of them. In Wijk, Gürel collected five wins and two draws for a 7½/13 final score, which left him in shared 6th place in the standings.
Four out of his five wins were scored with White, as he showed fearless play in these encounters, going for the initiative at once and often outplaying his opponents in tactical skirmishes. Given the trajectory followed by his slightly older colleagues - including world champion Gukesh - the coming 2-3 years will be crucial for Gürel, who has already shown both remarkable maturity and an uncompromising playing style in his first outings against top-notch opponents.
