Roman Shogjiev becomes the youngest International Master in chess history
The FIDE Council has officially conferred the title of International Master upon ten-year-old Russian chess player Roman Shogjiev, a title preceding that of Grandmaster. This achievement constitutes a world record, and the relevant documentation will be submitted to both the Guinness World Records and the Russian Book of Records.
In May 2025, at the age of 10 years, 3 months, and 21 days, Roman became the youngest chess player to fulfill all three norms required for this prestigious title. The previous record was held by Argentinian Faustino Oro, who attained the International Master title in 2024 at the age of 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days.
This is not Roman Shogjiev's first record-setting accomplishment. In December 2024, at 9 years, 10 months, and 7 days old, he became the youngest chess player in history to achieve the first International Master norm, surpassing Faustino Oro by over a month. This record was established at the RadnickiChess IM tournament in Belgrade. At that time, Roman also became one of only three chess players in history to exceed an Elo rating of 2300 (a system for measuring player strength) before reaching the age of ten.
Shogjiev first garnered the attention of the chess world at the age of eight, when he defeated five Grandmasters at the 2023 World Rapid and Blitz Championship. His talent was even acknowledged by World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who stated to the media: "These kids are strong! I am impressed. It's funny: we will probably see him among the strongest chess players in the world in a few years."
Roman's journey toward global recognition began early. In 2021, at just six years old, he showcased his prowess in a viral YouTube video that garnered 2.7 million views.
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