Faustino Oro is amazingly unconcerned with the burdens and expectations that accompany being too talented too early in his profession, especially for a child banging on the doors of history. Oro is only two norms away from becoming the youngest grandmaster in history, a title currently held by Indian-origin prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra, after completing his first grandmaster norm and surpassing the 2500 rating threshold at the Legends & Prodigies tournament in Madrid two weeks ago.
Five months remain for Oro to surpass Mishra’s record. In the past, prodigies’ forms have been notoriously altered by the quest to become the youngest grandmaster in history. Oro, meanwhile, shrugs away any discussion of pressure. And a grin.
“The record doesn’t put any pressure on anyone. I strive to play my best chess and enjoy playing chess, as I always say in interviews. A few hours after turning twelve, Oro tells The Indian Express in an interview from his Badalona home, “For me, it’s a sport.” “I am not focussing on the record of being the youngest grandmaster in history. Of course, I’ll attempt to accomplish that. However, I am more concerned about playing chess the way I want to and getting better every day. And so, the grandmaster title will show up if I get a little better every day.
Only six years have passed since his father, Alejandro, introduced him to chess in order to stop the fidgety six-year-old from kicking the football against walls for hours on end during their COVID confinement. He has already broken the record for the youngest international master in history, became the youngest player to ever reach a 2500 rating, and become the second youngest to achieve a Grandmaster norm in just six years. In addition to facing five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in exhibition matches, he has also defeated Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen—three times, he reminds us—in online games.
Magnus and Vishy are both legends and amazing gamers. It wasn’t quite the same because I played Vishy over the board and Magnus online. They’re both amazing. For me, it was just a game of chess against both guys.
Since I think they should have defeated me because they are better players, I wasn’t under any pressure. Before rattle-ragging his record against Anand and Carlsen, Oro states, “Therefore, I don’t have the pressure.”
Oro will also make two trips to India in the upcoming months. First for the FIDE World Cup in Goa, and then for the Global Chess League, where he won his category at the online GCL Contenders competition and was appointed an ambassador. This implies that Oro will be available if any GCL team needs a temporary substitute on the prodigy board throughout the competition.
