Egyptian Becomes National Chess Champion At 10

Abdalrahman Sameh Mohamed played his first tournament in January, won the African Youth Championship in June, and on Thursday took it one step further to sensationally win the Egyptian Chess Championship. He's just ten years old.

Abdalrahman, with a 2105 FIDE rating, was seeded only 18th among 369 players in the Egyptian Chess Championship, held in Cairo from July 2-11. Seven IMs and six FMs competed in the field, but the youngster cruised to an incredible 10.5/11 to take clear first place and the trophy.

He was a full point ahead of Alaa Ahmed Ahmed who finished second on 9.5 points, while FM David George Samir, born in 2011, took third on nine points.

(Full standings at Chess-Results.com)

Most of the nation's top players were missing from the event, including world number-73 GM Bassem Amin and former World Junior Champion GM Ahmed Adly, but the level was by no means a pushover for a 10-year-old.

Abdalrahman scored six wins against players rated below 2100, then added victories against a 2050 and a 2104-rated player. The real test came in round eight, against IM Hamed Wafa, but the 10-year-old scored an impressive attacking victory.

His only draw in the event came in the following round, against Ahmed (2268), from a winning position. It didn't matter, as he went on to win his two final games, finishing on a stunning score and a 2466 rating performance.

Chess.com has not been able to find a younger national chess champion in recent times, which could mean that  may have set an impressive record. By comparison, GM Alireza Firouzja was 12 when he became Iranian Chess Champion in 2016/17. In 1958 GM Bobby Fischer became US Chess Champion at 14, while GM Magnus Carlsen was 15 in 2006.

Abdalrahman's rating graph shows an explosive rise since he received his first rating of 1679 in February. Rated 2105 on the July list, he is set to gain 151 points after his performance in the Egyptian Chess Championship. That takes him to 2256, and he is likely among the top-three players in the world born after 2014.

Egypt's first grandmaster Adly told Chess.com he has never witnessed a talent like Mohamed, noting that his debut in rated tournaments came in January: "It’s insane. To tell you the truth, I can’t explain it,"  he said. 

It’s insane. To tell you the truth, I can’t explain it.

 —Ahmed Adly

As the interim leader of the Egyptian Chess Federation, he knows the family well, having travelled with them to the African Youth Championship in South Africa in June, an event that the kid won with 9/9. The grandmaster noted that Mohamed is trained by his father, who is not a chess player himself, and that the family has limited resources.

Adly says that while the new chess champion has recently benefited from coaching from strong players through a chess academy, no one can take credit for his remarkable rise. "I did analyze with him a few times. He is analzying like an engine. Maybe he is a new Bobby Fischer," Adly says.

Amin also expressed his amazement: "He is definitely the biggest talent in Egyptian chess history. I really hope he gets the sponsorship and support he deserves to keep improving and hopefully fight for the world title one day. What happens next is what really matters."

He is definitely the biggest talent in Egyptian chess history.

 —Bassem Amin

The grandmaster doesn't think such a prodigy appearing in the country is surprising, as online chess resources mean that talents come from anywhere in the world. He highlighted Egypt's promising group of emerging talents, noting that four of the top six players in the event are below the age of 16.

"I feel proud watching all these young stars coming up and starting to shine. It’s my dream to see Egyptian chess one day like India now, and it all started by inspiration from Vishy," Amin said.

Abdalrahman will get to test himself against the world's elite next month. According to Adly, he's set to participate for an Egyptian team in the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan, which begins August 2.