- A boy of just 5 years old amazes the world of chess players with his unique abilities
- Learned the art of chess from YouTube, and watched his father playing chess on the board
- A 5-year-old Indian player becomes the youngest player in history to win a FIDE ranking
- The world's best chess player M. Carlsen, withdraws from the World Championship because of jeans
A boy of just 5 years old amazes the world of chess players with his unique abilities
Balog Ronaldo, 5 years old, is astonishing the chess world with his extraordinary chess skills and his unique game that allows him to knock out even chess grandmasters in just a few minutes.
Videos on the internet show how Ronaldo snatches victory with just a few of his hand gestures. Last August, the young chess player shone again in Hungary, where he received praise even from his strongest rival regarding ELO points and career titles, GM Gyimesi Zoltan.
The latter said that he was pleasantly surprised by the level of expertise of the 5-year-old Ronaldo[1].
Ronaldo faced several experienced and high-scoring opponents during the event and played good games to win the U14 and U8 titles.
B. Ronaldo, born in Hungary in 2018, is active in tournaments and has been improving rapidly recently, especially in lightning chess (+79 rating points in December). Ronaldo is currently ranked 3095th in Hungary and 166,462nd in the world.
Learned the art of chess from YouTube, and watched his father playing chess on the board
At just two years old, Ronaldo Balog from Satu Mare watched his father play chess, and by the age of three, he was flawlessly placing pieces on the board[2].
At four, he had already played in his first tournament and won it. Many experts believe that the now five-year-old has an extraordinary talent. Under the tutelage of former Masters candidate Lajos Torzsás, Ronaldo has developed incredibly.
"I was overwhelmed because I hadn't played chess that day, and I hadn't taken out my board. My son arranged the pieces completely from memory. I was even more amazed that he already knew the basics," Cristian Balogh shared with foter.ro. - "For fifteen minutes with my family, we couldn't help but be amazed because it was incredible to see what this child of just three years old could do."
Instead of watching cartoons, Ronaldo learned from chess videos on YouTube. At almost four, he was eager to compete and declared that he wanted to become the youngest world champion in chess history.
A 5-year-old Indian player becomes the youngest player in history to win a FIDE ranking
An Indian chess sensation of the same age, Jiaana Garg, has made history as the youngest chess player to earn an international FIDE rating, debuting on 1 May 2024 with an impressive 1558 rating.
Starting to play chess when she was only 4.5 years old, Jiaana's exceptional talent and concentration quickly earned her a place in advanced training with mentor Naveen Bansal, Vice President of the Chandigarh Chess Association.
N. Bansal was initially hesitant to train such a young person but was convinced by a video shared by the girl's mother showing her demonstrating her discipline. The 5-year-old has achieved remarkable results in just a few months and is on par with older, ranked players[3].
Garg has competed in several prestigious tournaments, including the Matrix Cup International Open and the National Under-11 Girls' Chess Championship.
The world's best chess player M. Carlsen, withdraws from the World Championship because of jeans
Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen, the world's best chess player, withdrew from the World Rapid Chess Championship in New York last year because he refused to change his trousers, which violated FIDE dress rules.
Carlsen was fined USD 200 and warned to comply or face disqualification. He immediately refused to change his clothes on the grounds of principle and announced his retirement, thus losing the opportunity to defend his multiple Rapid and Blitz titles[4].
FIDE stressed that its dress code ensures professionalism and is applied equally to all participants, noting that other players, such as Ian Nepomniachtchi, have complied after similar penalties. M. Carlsen, 34, dismissed the controversy, saying he was "too old to care" and announced his plans to move on with his life.
However, it did not take long before Carlsen proved to the world once again that the wrong trousers are no reason not to win and snatched the World Chess Championship for the 5th time.
