“The Messi of Chess” on track to become the Youngest 2500 Ever

At just 11, Argentine chess prodigy Faustino Oro is making history at the Insud Pharma – Nave Bellver Leyendas & Prodigios 2025 tournament in Madrid. After seven rounds in the 10-player round-robin, his live FIDE rating reached 2500.2, taking the “Messi of Chess” one step closer to becoming the youngest ever to cross the 2500 mark. After breaking the records for being the youngest player to cross 2200 and 2300 and scoring an IM norm, Faustino has also become the second-youngest to secure a GM norm, behind only World Champion D. Gukesh Dommaraju.

Oro’s 6/7 score earned him his first Grandmaster norm, a 2600+ performance in a field averaging 2550. With three rounds left, Oro needs just 0.5 points to maintain his 2500+ rating, officially breaking the record of becoming the Youngest-Ever 2500 chess player. His next goal is ambitious: to become the youngest Grandmaster ever, surpassing Abhimanyu Mishra’s record (12 years, 4 months in 2021). To do so, Faustino must earn two more GM norms before March 11, 2026. The chess fans are excited to witness the rise of this extraordinary youngster from Argentina.