Who Is the Youngest Chess Grandmaster?

Abhimanyu Mishra is the youngest chess grandmaster in history. He became a Grandmaster on 30 June 2021 at the age of 12 years and 145 days.

Abhimanyu Mishra was 12 years and 145 days old, often written as 12 years, 4 months and 25 days, when he became a Grandmaster.

Abhimanyu Mishra became a Grandmaster on 30 June 2021, after earning his final GM norm in Budapest, Hungary.

Abhimanyu Mishra is from the United States. He was born in New Jersey and represented the USA when he set the youngest GM record.

Sergey Karjakin held the youngest Grandmaster record before Abhimanyu Mishra. Karjakin became a GM at 12 years and 7 months in 2002.

As of FIDE's May 2026 update, Faustino Oro of Argentina is the second-youngest Grandmaster in history, behind Abhimanyu Mishra.

Faustino Oro became a Grandmaster at about 12 years, 6 months and 26 days, making him the second-youngest GM in history.

Yes, Abhimanyu Mishra remains the youngest chess Grandmaster in history based on the current published record. Future title approvals could change the record.

GM stands for Grandmaster. It is the highest open over-the-board title awarded by FIDE.

A player normally becomes a Grandmaster by earning qualifying GM norms and reaching a FIDE rating of at least 2500 at some point.

Players usually need norms covering at least 27 games, commonly described as three GM norms from qualified tournaments.

The normal rating milestone for the Grandmaster title is 2500 FIDE. The player must have achieved that rating at some time.

Yes, young players generally need to satisfy the same GM title requirements. Their age does not remove the need for elite results.

No player has officially become a Grandmaster before age 12 in the published record. The current record is 12 years and 145 days.

Yes, the youngest Grandmaster record can be broken if a player completes the GM requirements at a younger age and the title is approved.

Magnus Carlsen was once one of the youngest grandmasters, becoming a GM at 13, but he is not the youngest in history.

Gukesh Dommaraju came very close to the record and became a GM at 12 years, 7 months and 17 days, but he was not the youngest ever.

Sergey Karjakin was the youngest Grandmaster from 2002 until Abhimanyu Mishra broke his record in 2021.

Abhimanyu Mishra's record age is commonly given as 12 years and 145 days. In calendar terms, that is also stated as 12 years, 4 months and 25 days.

Abhimanyu Mishra earned his final GM norm in Budapest, Hungary, at the Vezerkepzo GM Mix tournament.

Abhimanyu Mishra defeated Grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca in the game that secured his final norm and the youngest GM record.

No, youngest Grandmaster and World Champion are different achievements. The GM title is a permanent title, while the World Championship is won through a championship cycle.

Grandmaster is the highest open FIDE title. World Champion is a separate competitive title rather than a normal FIDE title category.

No, online arena titles are separate from the standard over-the-board FIDE Grandmaster title.

Yes, girls and women can earn the open Grandmaster title if they meet the same requirements. The open GM title is not male-only.

GM is the highest open FIDE title. WGM, or Woman Grandmaster, is a separate women-only title with different requirements.

Youngest GM records have become more competitive because talented juniors now have strong coaching, online training, databases and more tournament opportunities.

Beginners should treat youngest GM records as inspiration, not pressure. Most improvement comes from steady practice, tactics, games and review.

Correct as of 7 July 2026, remember Abhimanyu Mishra, 12 years and 145 days, on 30 June 2021. That is the core youngest Grandmaster trivia answer.

Use the ChessWorld trivia guide for more chess records, title counts and beginner-friendly statistics. This page focuses on the youngest Grandmaster record.