Almost perfect!
The Legends & Prodigies invitational tournament in Madrid has gathered five young talents and five experienced players in a unique format that mixes generations. The event has quickly become the stage for one of the most notable performances by a young teenager in recent years. Argentina’s Faustino Oro, just 11 years old, has been the main focus of attention, and with good reason.
Oro began the tournament with remarkable momentum, winning his first four games. Among those victories were wins against the Spanish grandmasters José “Pepe” Cuenca and David Lariño, as well as against the Chinese prodigy Lu Miaoyi. In the latter encounter, Lu obtained a promising attacking position but failed to find the most accurate continuation, allowing the young Argentine to seize the initiative and convert.
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Faustino Oro during his first-round game against José “Pepe” Cuenca | Photo: Mar Melero
His winning streak was halted in the fifth round when he faced Ilan Schnaider, another Argentine prospect, aged 14. Oro pressed for the win throughout, but the struggle consumed much of his time on the clock, and he eventually had to settle for a draw. After five rounds, Oro had 4½ points and shared the lead with Alan Pichot.
The sixth round produced the clash everyone had been waiting for, with Oro meeting Pichot, a player fifteen years his senior and a former world under-16 champion. Both had entered the game undefeated and with identical scores, which meant that the encounter was likely to be crucial for the tournament standings.
Oro, playing white, opted for the Spanish Four Knights. The opening led to a complex middlegame in which Pichot, at one moment, could have obtained a superior position thanks to a strong bishop manoeuvre. He missed the chance, however, and later overlooked a tactical sequence that allowed Oro to launch a decisive attack. The 11-year-old converted the position confidently, scoring his fifth win of the tournament.
The deciding encounter between Faustino Oro and Argentine-born Alan Pichot (now representing Spain) | Photo: Raúl Martínez
In round seven, Oro signed a draw in his game with black against Omar Almeida, which carried even greater significance than the half point itself. With 6/7, he maintained his lead in the tournament and clinched his first grandmaster norm.
In the history of chess, only one player, the current world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, has managed to achieve such a result at a younger age. For Oro, the milestone means that, having now crossed 2500 Elo with a performance rating of 2790, he requires only two further norms to earn the grandmaster title. A bit before his twelfth birthday, he remains in position to break Abhimanyu Mishra’s record as the youngest grandmaster in history, who obtained the title at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days.
Elsewhere in the tournament, the more experienced competitors have also left their mark. Julio Granda of Peru, one of the legendary figures in Latin American chess, recovered from a mixed start to stay within reach of the leaders. Schnaider has shown resilience beyond his years, having been the only player to hold both Oro and Pichot to draws.
Unfortunately, Lu had to withdraw from the event after round six, with the organisers commenting that the Chinese rising star has been experiencing health issues and is too exhausted to continue her participation.
Cuenca 0-1 Oro
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller
Oro 1-0 Lariño
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller
