MASTERMINDS: THE YOUNG AND RISING

Here’s a look at some of the top youngsters in the game

NODIRBEK ABDUSATTOROV 19, (UZBEKISTAN) 2,765 Elo rating (Classical)

Abdusattorov is an Uzbek GM who won the 2021 World Rapid Championship and played on the first board for team Uzbekistan that won the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad. He did both when 17 years old, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. In

March 2024, he climbed all the way to fourth in the world in live FIDE rating.

D GUKESH 17, (INDIA) 2,763 Elo rating (Classical)

Gukesh, the third-youngest GM in history, became the challenger to the 2024 FIDE World Championship by winning the Candidates. He is the youngest-ever Candidates winner. A win in the World Championship against China’s Ding Liren would make Gukesh by far the youngest classical world champion ever.

ARJUN ERIGAISI 20, (INDIA) 2,761 Elo rating (Classical)

Arjun began 2022 winning the Tata Steel Challengers and followed that up by winning the Junior Speed Chess Championship. He won the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival and in December won the Tata Steel India Blitz. In March 2023, Arjun won the Sharjah Masters and reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup before losing in tiebreaks to Pragg.

PRAGGNANANDHAA 18, (INDIA) 2,747 Elo rating (Classical)

Pragg made headlines in 2022 when he defeated Magnus Carlsen in the Airthings Masters, becoming the youngest player to beat Carlsen since he had become world champion. In July 2023, Pragg obtained a live 2700 rating for the first time. His amazing year continued with a second-place finish at the FIDE World Cup where he lost to Carlsen in the final.

ALIREZA FIROUZJA 20, (FRANCE) 2,737 Elo rating (Classical)

In late 2019 and early 2020, Firouzja electrified the chess world with his second-place finish in the World Rapid Championship behind Magnus Carlsen. In 2021 he won the Riga Grand Swiss and the European Team Championships and jumped to 2nd in the world rankings with a 2804 rating. He played the 2022 Candidates at the age of 18 and broke the record for youngest player to surpass 2800 rating.

VINCENT KEYMER 19, (GERMANY) 2,726 Elo rating (Classical)

By 2015, the German GM was already being hailed as the country’s greatest chess talent since Emanuel Lasker. At 13, he won the 2018 Grenke Open ahead of 49 GMs which secured his first GM norm. Keymer’s performance rating of 2798 was the highest in history by an U-14 player. In December 2022, he finished second at the World Rapid Championship behind Carlsen.

NIHAL SARIN 19, (INDIA) 2,698 Elo rating (Classical)

Sarin became GM at the age of 14. He won several youth championships on his way, including the U-10 World Blitz in 2013 and the U-10 World Youth in 2014. He was also the world U-18 champion, held online in 2020.