Russian GM Denis Lazavik shared his thoughts on the playing strength of 12-year-old Faustino Oro. Lazavik notes that he previously suspected the young Argentine of cheating, and believes Oro plays fairly.

Denis Lazavik

Denis Lazavik

Russian GM

“Faustino plays very well, I’ve played a couple of matches with him. But at first, like everyone else, I thought he was cheating. Now, most likely, he is not cheating and plays on his own.

I don’t suffer from paranoia in that regard by the way. The last time I had that feeling was when I played against Kirill Shevchenko. And he was banned shortly after…”

12-year-old Argentinian IM Faustino Oro (2516) holds all records as the youngest player to reach 2500 in Classical, Rapid, and Blitz. Faustino became the youngest IM in history at the age of 10 in 2024. He has one month remaining to achieve his third and final GM norm and break the record for the youngest Grandmaster in history.

Credit: Michal Walusza/FIDE