Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever

September 3, 2021 By Sourav

There have been grandmasters that have ended the game in a couple of minutes and there have been games that have gone for as long as a couple of days too. Chess is one of the oldest games known to mankind and still continues to be among our favorites. You will be surprised to know that some of the grandmasters are even below the age of 15 years. You read it right; age is not a factor when it comes to chess. The mind behind the eyes is the most crucial part of this game. So without further ado, here are the top Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever.

Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever | 2021 Updates

Chess is a game of mind and not the body. Nonetheless, the key to a healthy body is a healthy mind. There are millions of chess players around the world. It is also a known fact that chess is the most popular and famous indoor game in history. As well as we love the game, we also love watching our grandmasters fighting the battle on a platter. Here we bring to you the most popular as well as the youngest people to become a grandmaster.

10. Wesley So

At number 10 of Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever, we have Wesley so who is one of the best chess players. He overtook a position that was previously earned by Magnus Carlsen, who in fact is also one of the youngest people to become a grandmaster.

Wesley is from the Philippines but represents the USA. He became a US citizen in 2015. Right now, he is only 27 years old but he became a grandmaster at the age of 14 years and two months in 2008.

He even got a scholarship for his win. In March 2016, so received the Samford Fellowship, which identifies and assists the best young American chess masters. The fellowship granted him $42,000 to train for and play in top tournaments. How cool is that?

9. Ruslan Ponomariov

At number 9 of Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever, we have Ruslan Ponomariov, Who is one of the Great chess players. He is a Ukrainian chess player who is currently 37 years old.

Nonetheless, he became a grandmaster at the fragile age of 14 years and a half months. His FIDE rating is 2675 currently, which is pretty impressive. Born on 11 of October 1983 …his full name is Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov.

This is a bit surprising but he learned to play chess at the age of 5 and now we know why and how he became a grandmaster at such an age.

8. Teimour Radjabov

At number 8 of Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever, we have Teimour Radjabov who is one of the top chess players. This brainy is currently 34 years old and his FIDE rating is an impressive 2759.

Radjabov is the second-youngest player ever, after Judit Polgar, to make it into the FIDE Top 100 players list.

With a rating of 2599 in January 2002, he was ranked 93rd in the world while still 14 years old. Speak about child prodigies. He still is a remarkable chess player with a worldwide ranking at number 20.

7. Richárd Rapports

At number 7 of Top 10 Youngest Chess Players Ever, we have Richárd Rapports who is one of the Amazing chess players.

He is a Hungarian Grandmaster, to win the title when he was just 13 years and 11 months.

Right now his age is 25 years, which means he is still meant to continue a long journey in the chess field.

6. Samuel Sevian

At number 6 of Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever, we have Samuel Sevian who is one of the awesome chess players. He is just 20 years old and he became a grandmaster at the age of 13 years and 10 months.

Samuel is still very young and already has got a FIDE rating of 2677. He is from the United States and already has accomplished more than half the things older people couldn’t.

His first success came when he became the youngest Expert in USCF history at 8 years, 2 months, beating Brian Luo’s previous record by over 10 months. This achievement of his was featured in the LA times too. For an 8-year-old that is more than impressive.

5. Bu Xiangzhi

At number 5 of Top 10 Youngest Chess Players Ever, we have By Xiangzhi, who is one of the Chess players who are best.

He is a grandmaster from the land of China. He became a grandmaster at the young age of 13 years and 10 months.

China must be very proud as two of the grandmasters in this list are from China. Currently, he is 35 years old and continues to make his folks as well as his country proud of him.

4. Wei Yi

At number 4 of Top 10 Youngest Chess Players Ever, we have Wei Yi, who is one of the Chess-playing prodigies. He is also from China and is currently only 22 years old.

He won his Grandmaster title when he was 13 years and 8 months old. As of 2021, he is the youngest person ranked among the FIDE top 100 players.

He is currently ranked number 20 in the whole wide world. His current FIDE ranking is 2741, which is pretty amazing.

3. Magnus Carlsen

Speaking of the Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever, we have here Magnus Carlsen. He is one of the Young chess prodigies. He is probably one of the most famous chess prodigies ever.

In 2004, when he was only 13 years 5 months old, he became a grandmaster. He is still the third youngest grandmaster in the history of chess.

Apart from this, he has won numerous other titles too. He is currently 30 years old and rocking at his game. He is the current world champion with a FIDE rating of 2875 too!

2. Parimarjan Negi

At number 2 of the Top 10 Youngest Chess Players Ever, we have Parimarjan Negi who is one of the Top chess prodigies. This Indian fella on this list is currently 28 years old. His FIDE rating was 2639 in June 2019.

He became a grandmaster at the age of a mere 13 years and 3 months. He is a student at Stanford University currently and has graduated from Amity International School, which is located in New Delhi, India.

1. Sergey Karjakin

At number 1 of the Top 10 Youngest Chess Grandmasters Ever, we have Sergey Karjakin, who is one of the Great chess prodigies. This Russian grandmaster earned his title at the age of 12 years 7 months.

That is really crazy and he is the youngest person to be Grandmaster, ever. He is from Ukraine and his parents can’t be more proud.

Right now he is 31 years old and has the FIDE rating of 2748, which is damn impressive. Apart from being a grandmaster… he is also known for winning a lot of other chess championships as well.

Final Words

Chess has always been one of the mind-bending fascinating games. Nowadays it is even virtualized. There are online tournaments that happen all day every day. One can pick a partner or challenge an anonymous person to battle. Some of the online championships even offer prizes to consistent players.

Youngest Chess Grandmasters | 2021 Infographics

If you too are a keen chess player and were inspired by these Youngest Chess Grandmasters, leave a comment below. Let us know who is your favorite chess player and why.