GM Abhimanyu Mishra is the Youngest GM in History!

12-year-old Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra (Englishtown, NJ) is the youngest Grandmaster in history, subject to confirmation from FIDE, breaking the record formerly held by GM Sergey Karjakin.

At age 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, Mishra earned his third and final norm today at the Vezerkepzo GM Mix tournament in Budapest, Hungary, defeating GM Leon Luke Mendonca to take the final step on his long journey to Grandmaster. (He had already fulfilled the rating requirement, breaking the 2500 Elo mark, in June.) With Karjakin having earned his title at age 12 years and 7 months, Mishra bettered the previous mark by approximately 66 days.

Here is the key game, where Mishra, playing Black against Mendonca, won to get to a score of 7/9, sufficient for the Grandmaster norm.

[pgn][Event "Vezerkepzo GM Mix"] [Site "Budapest"] [Date "2021.06.30"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Mendonca, Leon Luke"] [Black "Mishra, Abhimanyu"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D83"] [WhiteElo "2549"] [BlackElo "2485"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1 c5 7. dxc5 Be6 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Be2 Qa5 10. Ng5 Nd8 11. Bg3 dxc4 12. Nxe6 Nxe6 13. Qa4 Qxc5 14. Bxc4 Qb6 15. Qb3 Qxb3 16. Bxb3 Nc5 17. Ke2 Nxb3 18. axb3 Rfd8 19. Rhd1 Ne8 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rd1 Rxd1 22. Kxd1 Nf6 23. Kc2 Nd7 24. b4 f5 25. Nb5 a6 26. Nc7 Kf7 27. b5 a5 28. Nd5 Nc5 29. Bc7 a4 30. f3 Ke6 31. Nc3 Bxc3 32. Kxc3 Kd5 33. Bd8 e5 34. Be7 Nb3 35. h3 e4 36. fxe4+ fxe4 37. Kb4 Nd2 38. Bf6 h5 39. Kxa4 Kc4 40. Ka5 Nb3+ 41. Kb6 Nc5 42. Bd4 Nb3 43. Bf6 Kb4 44. Kxb7 Kxb5 45. Kc7 Kc4 46. Kd6 Kd3 47. Bg5 Nd2 48. Ke5 Nf3+ 49. gxf3 $4 (49. Kf4 $11) 49... exf3 50. Bh4 g5 51. Bf2 Ke2 52. b4 Kxf2 53. b5 Kxe3 54. b6 f2 55. b7 f1=Q 0-1 [/pgn]

This is not Mishra’s first record shattered. He was the youngest master in U.S. history at nine years and two months, and the youngest International Master ever at 10 years, nine months, and three days, breaking the record previously held by GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa by 17 days.

For more on Mishra’s successful quest for the GM title, see our October 2020 cover story in Chess Life, written by GM Maurice Ashley with photography by Justin N. Lane.

Chess Life and Chess Life Online will have more coverage in the days and weeks ahead.