IM Roman Shogdzhiev took a major step toward becoming the youngest grandmaster in chess history on Monday, scoring his second GM norm in the Serbian Super League. The 11-year-old is now one norm and 29 rating points away from breaking GM Abhimanyu Mishra's 2021 record.

The prodigy had an incredible run in the team tournament, playing on board one for Partizan Belgrade. He defeated strong GMs Ivan Cheparinov (2631), Bharath Subramaniyam (2603), and Jingyao Tin (2602). Shogdzhiev finished his tournament by drawing Hungarian GM Ferenc Berkes in round nine on Monday to reach 6/9. 

Shogdzhiev sat out the final two rounds, finishing with a performance rating of 2662, comfortably above the 2600 required for a GM norm. He also gained 26.1 rating points, taking his live rating to 2471.1.

Shogdzhiev displayed impressive fighting spirit throughout the tournament, grinding out wins in the endgame. His most impressive victory, however, was against four-time Bulgarian champion Cheparinov, who currently works with super GM Alireza Firouzja. In that game, he was in control from start to finish.

While the 11-year-old still needs to add 29 points and score another norm to complete the requirements for the GM title, it puts one of chess's most closely watched prodigies within reach of a milestone that no player has achieved before their 12th birthday.

Mishra became the youngest grandmaster in history in June 2021, aged 12 years, four months, and 25 days. Shogdzhiev, now 11 years and eight months old, has until late June 2027 to beat that mark. If he completes the requirements before his 12th birthday on February 4, he would become the first-ever grandmaster under 12 and smash the record by more than four months.

Youngest Ever Grandmasters

Since he sensationally defeated five grandmasters as an eight-year-old in the 2023 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship, Shogdzhiev has been regarded as one of the world's most exciting young prospects. Back then, his performance caught the attention of GM Magnus Carlsen, who told Norwegian media: "It's fun to see—maybe we'll see him at the very top in a few years!"

With support from a team of leading grandmasters, headed by GM Evgeny Tomashevsky, he became the youngest international master in history in 2025.  At 10 years, three months, and 21 days, he broke GM Faustino Oro's record by more than five months.

The hunt for the GM title started early. He scored his first norm at the Asian Individual Championship in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in June. Seeded 50th, Shogdzhiev finished 10th with 6/9 and remained undefeated against the six grandmasters he faced, breaking GM Illya Nyzhnyk's 18-year-old record as the youngest player ever to score a GM norm.

For Shogdzhiev, the ambition extends beyond age records. Asked earlier this year about his ultimate goal, he said: "I want to become world champion. I just want to. That would be awesome!"

I want to become world champion. I just want to. That would be awesome!
—Roman Shogdzhiev