Will Faustino Oro make a GM norm?

by Stefan Liebig
12/16/2025 – High tension in Buenos Aires: with his draw against Julio Granda Zuniga, Faustino Oro stayed in contention both for the tournament victory and for the second grandmaster norm that is so important to him. A lot would have to go his way to win the tournament, but the norm is firmly in his own hands: a draw in the final round would be enough. First place is still shared, yet after Alexei Shirov’s fighting win against the former co-leader Ivan Cheparinov, Shirov and Aryan Tari have the best chances to win the tournament. | Photo: Faustino Oro at the World Cup 2025 | Photo: Michal Walusza
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Battle for the lead

After round seven of the Magistral Szmetan–Giardelli produced nothing but draws at the top of the standings, the penultimate round was far more hard-fought. Diego Flores, Alexei Shirov, and Sandro Mareco all emerged victorious. Even so, the two drawn games were also significant: on the one hand, Aryan Tari, with White, could manage only a draw against second-from-bottom Ilan Schnaider. On the other, Faustino Oro preserved his excellent chances of achieving his targeted GM norm with a rather uneventful draw against Julio Granda Zuniga—a norm that is at the very centre of public interest at this tournament. If Oro succeeds in making the norm in Buenos Aires, he would then need “only” one more by March 2026 to become the youngest grandmaster of all time. The record is currently held by the American Abhimanyu Mishra.

Flores against Oro again

However, quite apart from this grandmaster norm, Oro (pictured right at the opening of the Argentine Championship / Photo: FADA) is tied for third place together with Cheparinov and his opponent in the final round, just half a point behind the leaders. If everything were to go Oro’s way and he were to win his last game with Black against Diego Flores—who has only recently become Argentina’s record national champion—he could secure not only the GM norm but also the tournament victory. For the GM norm, however, a draw would already be sufficient. At the recently concluded Argentine Championship, Oro did lose to Flores.

Round 9, 16.12.2025
Bo. No. Elo White Result Black Elo No.
1 5 2555
GM Mareco, Sandro GM Tari, Aryan
2636 10
2 6 2625
GM Cheparinov, Ivan GM Slipak, Sergio
2374 4
3 7 2624
GM Granda Zuniga, Julio E GM Shirov, Alexei
2610 3
4 8 2567
GM Flores, Diego IM Oro, Faustino
2503 2
5 9 2402
IM Schnaider, Ilan IM Darcyl, Tomas
2360 1

In round eight, Alexei Shirov played an intriguing attacking game against Ivan Cheparinov. The chosen line of the Najdorf Sicilian has already been analysed quite deeply, yet the tactical variation that arose continues to offer fresh ideas. Cheparinov went wrong relatively early, and Shirov converted his advantage in routine fashion to take the full point:

After suffering two defeats in rounds five and six, Flores played his way back into the chasing pack with two consecutive victories in rounds seven and eight. So, all seems set for an exciting battle with Faustino Oro. | Photo: FADA

Standings after round 8

Rk. Name Pts  Tb1 
1 Shirov, Alexei 5,5 20,25
Tari, Aryan 5,5 20,25
3 Oro, Faustino 5 17
4 Cheparinov, Ivan 5 16,5
5 Flores, Diego 5 16,25
6 Mareco, Sandro 3,5 13,5
7 Slipak, Sergio 3,5 12,75
8 Granda Zuniga, Julio E 3 11,75
9 Schnaider, Ilan 2,5 9,25
10 Darcyl, Tomas 1,5 5

Games

Chess-Results

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Topics: Alexey Shirov, Aryan Tari, Diego Flores, Faustino Oro
Stefan Liebig, born in 1974, is a journalist and co-owner of a marketing agency. He now lives in Barterode near Göttingen. At the age of five, strange pieces on his neighbour’s shelf aroused his curiosity. Since then, the game of chess has cast a spell over him. Flying high in the NRW youth league with his home club SV Bad Laasphe and several appearances in the second division team of Tempo Göttingen were highlights for the former youth South Westphalia champion.
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Diego Flores wins Argentine Championship for an eighth time, equals Miguel Najdorf's record

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60m English Anti-Bayonet

King’s Indian fans who choose the Mar del Plata attack (7...Nc6) against White’s classical system (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0) usually aim for a complex position with mutual attacks on open wings, requiring long-term strategic planning and tactical sharpness in critical moments. Computers often do not know how to handle the arising complex strategic positions, which suits players who like to think on their own instead of memorizing long variations. However, the fashionable Bayonet Attack (9.b4) interferes with Black’s ideas. After Black’s main move 9...Nh5 the positions opens, the lines get forced and computer analysis is important again. But this DVD offers an antidote against White’s Bayonet Attack, namely 9...a5! This move leads to sound positions with very few concrete lines, in which the focus is on strategy not on tactics. Objectively chances are equal but if Black knows what to do things might quickly become dangerous for White.