10-year-old hailed as “Messi of chess” after beating Magnus Carlsen
FIDEThe 10-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro has been hailed as the “Messi of chess” after beating Magnus Carlsen in a Bullet game.
Magnus Carlsen has long held the number one position in FIDE’s chess rankings that it may feel as if he is unbeatable. However on the rare occasions he is, it’s a defeat to take notice of.
On March 23, Carlsen was beaten by a 10-year-old Argentinian chess prodigy in just 38 seconds, with many hailing the kid as the “Messi of chess”.
Streamed live on Faustino Oro’s YouTube channel, he streamed himself playing Bullet chess on Chess.com and found himself queued up against Carlsen.
As the game rapidly progressed, Oro found himself with an advantage towards the endgame, and he said, “If I lose this I can retire from chess.” Oro would go on to win with Carlsen retiring from the game as he was put in an unwinnable position.
This massive win for Oro was preceded with victories over Grandmasters like Daniel Naroditsky and Hikaru Nakamura, which has instantly put the 10-year-old on the map for many.
“Messi of chess,” Chess.com heralded Oro, comparing him to the Argentine legend. However, despite the celebrations from the community, a few were still skeptical of Oro’s victory over Carlsen.
“What’s all the hype, Carlsen would still probably beat him in a long classical chess match, especially if it’s 14 or 16 games,” said Grandmaster Anish Giri in response to the Oro’s feat.
