Roman Sjogdzjijev stands on the brink of chess history as an 11-year-old prodigy aiming to become the youngest grandmaster ever.
He needs one final grandmaster norm within the next six months to surpass legendary figures who claimed the prestigious title at older ages.
Garry Kasparov achieved the feat at 17, Bobby Fischer at 15, and Magnus Carlsen at 13. Sjogdzjijev, who turns 12 in February, has until this summer to complete his final norm and rewrite the record books.
Living in Moscow with his parents, Sjogdzjijev follows a specialized regime far removed from a typical childhood. According to reports, a team of seven top Russian players rotates to train the youngster as part of a national push to produce a world champion.
His mother, Saglara, stated in an interview with chess.com that her son’s formal schooling is limited to one or two hours per day. Sjogdzjijev himself told chess.com that he gets bored by anything outside of chess.
Over the past year, Sjogdzjijev has secured victories in Hong Kong, Mongolia, and Antalya, alongside playing league matches for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia.
Nils Grandelius, Sweden’s top-ranked player and a grandmaster at 33, views the youngster’s rise with a mix of awe and caution. Grandelius has not yet faced Sjogdzjijev over the board.
Det är en extremt stor talang och det finns ingen övre gräns för hur bra han kan bli,
Grandelius said, describing him as an extreme talent with no upper limit on his potential.
Grandelius contrasted modern preparation with earlier eras, pointing out that online access allows young players to spar with grandmasters around the clock. At the same time, the Swedish player questioned whether such intense focus is healthy for a child, noting that he himself played roughly 20 hours a week as a 12-to-13-year-old.
Det är nog inget jag skulle rekommendera som förälder. Jag hade inte uppmanat mitt barn att försöka bli stormästare,
Grandelius said, adding that he assumes normal schooling takes a backseat.
Sjogdzjijev’s pursuit unfolds alongside a parallel race against 13-year-old Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro, often dubbed the Schackets Messi
. Meanwhile, Erik Malmstig, former vice president of the Swedish Chess Federation, noted the enduring influence of the Soviet training model and the geopolitical questions surrounding Russian athletes since the invasion of Ukraine.
While FIDE permitted individual Russians to compete under a neutral flag, Malmstig pointed out that the Swedish federation maintains a strict stance against participation by Russian players over 18 within Sweden. Grandmasters such as Aleksandra Kostenjuk have publicly criticized the conflict and relocated to represent other European nations.
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