8-Years-Old Chess Prodigy Leaves Fans Stunned, Beats Five Grandmasters In World Rapid And Blitz Championships
Eight-year-old Roman Shogdzhiev's prodigy has earned him widespread recognition including that from
Eight-year-old Roman Shogdzhiev's extraordinary feat of triumphing over five grandmasters in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships earned widespread recognition and commendation, notably from his idol, Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. Shogdzhiev's exceptional performance, especially considering his age, marks one of the most sensational achievements in chess history, particularly within the rapid format.
In the initial rounds of the tournament, Shogdzhiev encountered notable opponents, facing off against Uzbekistan’s Grandmaster Jakhongir Vakhidov, an Olympiad champion, in the first round. He later drew against seasoned Grandmasters Aleksey Dreev and Gadir Guseinov in rounds two and four.
His impressive streak continued as he claimed victory over GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, who expressed astonishment at Shogdzhiev's prowess, admitting he hadn't heard of him before and acknowledging the remarkable skill the young player possessed, stating, "I had never even heard of him before—maybe I should have. It's pretty crazy to be that good when you are eight years old. When I was at that age, I had barely learned the rules. I should never in my life have lost that game, but I managed to mess it up in time trouble. Regardless, he played on an enormously high level and in a mature way" as quoted by Chess.com.
Shogdzhiev Secured Titles As World Under-8 Champion
In the previous year, at the age of seven, Shogdzhiev secured titles as the World Under 8 Champion with a flawless 11/11 score, the Asian Youth Under 8 Blitz Champion with a perfect 9/9 score, and the European Youth Under 8 Champion. The chess prodigy has his roots in Elista in the Russian Republic of Kalmykia, an area renowned for hosting numerous chess events in the 1990s. However, his family has since relocated closer to Russia's capital, Moscow.
Despite encountering a decline in his classical rating, losing nearly a hundred points in the Asian Under 8 Championship and holding a classical rating of 1802, Shogdzhiev maintains a dominant position in rapid (2224) and blitz (2198) formats. He currently ranks eighth globally among players born in 2015 or later. Additionally, he stands out in these formats, leading ahead of another remarkable eight-year-old prodigy, Britain's WCM Bodhana Sivanandan, who recently showcased exceptional skills in the European Blitz Championship.
Shogdzhiev's accomplishment of defeating a Grandmaster wasn't a one-off occurrence among young talents. Ten-year-old FM Faustino Oro, the youngest player to surpass a 2300 rating, notably triumphed over Russian Khismatullin in the World Rapid Championship held in Uzbekistan.
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