At just 10 years, 3 months, and 21 days old, Roman Shogdzhiev from Russia has shattered the record for the youngest International Master in chess history, beating the previous mark held by Argentina’s Faustino Oro by over five months.
Shogdzhiev clinched the title after tying for first with 7/9 at the RadnickiChess May IM Tournament in Belgrade. This result earned him his final IM norm and pushed his rating over the 2400 threshold—sealing the deal for the title.
Already a double world youth champion, Shogdzhiev burst into the spotlight at age eight when he defeated five grandmasters at the 2023 World Blitz & Rapid Championship, catching the attention of Magnus Carlsen. Since then, he has continued to dominate in speed chess, regularly beating elite-level players.
Trained by seven grandmasters—including former world no.13 GM Evgeny Tomashevsky—and homeschooled to focus entirely on chess, Roman’s journey has been intense and laser-focused.
"I want to be a world champion. And this year, I want to achieve a grandmaster norm. I think it’s realistic," Shogdzhiev said in a recent interview.
His next appearance will be at the World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship in London this June. The chess world will be watching.
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