12-year-old becomes a great chess master

Indian chess Fenomen Ramesbabu Praggnandhaa became this weekend, at the age of 12, the second, the youngest, international master in the history of this discipline, marking the record of age.

At the age of 12, 10 months and 13 days, this son of a Chennai Bank employee in southern India won this prestigious title due to his performance during a chess tournament in Ortisei (in northern Italy) that ended yesterday.

Except for the title world champion, the rank of the great international master (GMI) is the highest one a chess player can get.

The record for the young master is still held by Sergei Cariakin, who received this title in 2002 at age 12 and seven months.

Because of their humble means, Ramesbabu Praggnandha's family was reserved for him to enter the chess, a game he has begun to show interest since the age of four.

But his passion for playing chess was unstoppable, I had to get him into training courses. He has been unstoppable since then, said his father, who bears the same name as his son, for the Indian press.

Twelve-year-old Fenomen train at least six hours a day and watch online parts. His 17-year-old sister, Vaishali Ramesbabu, is also chess champion for girls. / AFP/