The dream of Faustino Oro and a large part of his fans, break the world record by winning the title of international master at the youngest age in history of this game continues to be a wish. At the Chess Festival in Madrid, the Argentine boy, from 10 yearsforced to win on the last day in his duel with the young Spanish master Alex Garrido Outon, 25 years old, finished even and, in this way, did not complete the necessary performance to obtain the 3rd standard and the respective homologation of the title. The regulations of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) required the achievement of 5.5 points in the nine wheels of the competition, and Faustino reached 5.
The game in which Fausti -as his relatives call him- led the white pieces to a draw after 45 moves of a Philidor defense and almost four hours of gameplay.
However, the performance of the Argentine prodigy was very good, since finished undefeated, occupied the shooting guard position and was located half a unit behind the winners: the North American Eric Rosen and the Venezuelan Pedro Ramón Martínez Reyes, both with 5.5.
If Faustino and his parents (Romina and Alejandro) decide to accompany him in the race to reach the record – since 2019 held by the American child (born in New Jersey), of Indian parents, Abhimanyu Mishrawho obtained the title of international master at 10 years, 9 months and 3 days– They have until next July 16. Coming soon A competition similar to Madrid will begin in Barcelonaand the chances of conquering the 3rd standard are still within reach. He has everything he needs and his coaches confirm it
“The possibility of winning the title in Madrid was just that, a possibility. But I don’t think that’s the important thing, he shouldn’t have to carry the pressure of breaking a record or having to do something different every day.. Fausti is going to have a long career in chess and the title if he achieves it now or in three or four months, it will not change his future,” he had assured Infobaecoach Mario Villanueva.
“We have worked many hours preparing each of the games, and I can assure you that sometimes I feel like I am training a great master with years of experience. Faustino is super professional and he is only 10 years old,” Jorge Rosito, his coach who has accompanied him since his first steps in high competition, told this medium. And, he added: “Obviously we are all looking forward to seeing him as an international master, but the most important thing is that we are on the right path”.
The words of Jorge Rosito – who began working with Faustino Oro, at the age of 6, since September 2020 – are also endorsed by other experts and the rigor of the statistics. Following the decision made by the child’s parents, on December 5, 2023, of moving from the Buenos Aires neighborhood of San Cristóbal to the city of Badalona, in Barcelona, to accompany the dream of his only sonlittle Fausti has had an agenda full of competition, and with rivals of greater strength and experience than those he could have faced in Argentina.
From January 2024 to date, the child has played five competitions with classical or thought chess rhythm (we are talking about games lasting more than 4 hours of daily game session, and sometimes, as in the case of Madrid, with a double session on the same day). Faustino played the Jeddah Festival (in Saudi Arabia), the Alicante Open, the Menorca Open, the Continental Championship (in Colombia) and the Madrid Festival. In total he played 47 games, in which he had 13 wins, 25 draws and 9 losses..
Other data: six of their losses happened in the first competition, held in Arabia last January. The lesson of Arabia was undoubtedly very useful for his progress. The last time Faustino bowed to his king as a sign of abandonment was on April 6, in his game with the Cuban maestro Ernesto Fernández Guillen. Since then He is undefeated in 22 games without defeats.
Last May, A group of businessmen agreed with the leadership of the Argentine Chess Federation (FADA) to support Faustino Oro’s career in high competition.. A work team of five coaches and financial support were put together to cover the training, travel, per diem and accommodation expenses of the child and her companions. The debut took place in Colombia with Faustino’s participation in the Continental Championship. And, Madrid was the second test. In both, the boy did not disappoint. He was a guard and finished undefeated.
What more could you ask of a 10-year-old boy, who only four years ago, in May 2020, discovered that bishops move obliquely, that the knight is the only piece that can jump over another, the king It moves one square at a time and the pawns never retreat?
Since he understood the rules, that boy, who likes football and sympathizes with the Club Velez Sarsfieldstudied at the San José de Calasanz school and played with his friends at the Torre Blanca Chess Circle, he did not stop causing astonishment in front of a board, perhaps, as has never been seen in the more than fifteen centuries of documented history of this activity.
Saying goodbye to the record in Madrid may just be a see you soon; he decides. Meanwhile Barcelona awaits him.
