The exceptional feat of eight-year-old Roman Shogdzhiev, triumphing over five grandmasters in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, earned him praise from his idol, GM Magnus Carlsen.
Carlsen’s double victory in the recently concluded event in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, wasn’t the sole headline-making story. Other noteworthy incidents included Polish star GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda’s refusal to shake hands with Russian GM Denis Khismatullin, and the pre-arranged knight dance of GMs Daniil Dubov and Ian Nepomniachtchi.
A more positive story was the outstanding performance of the youngest players in the event, particularly eight-year-old Shogdzhiev, whose rapid result will go down as one of the most sensational in chess history.
„This is truly remarkable! The youngest grandmasters we have are 12 years old. This is a world sensation,“ NRK’s lead commentator IM Torstein Bae said on Norwegian TV.
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The eight-time women’s champion GM Irina Krush is playing in St. Louis. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.