Chess player Samuel Sevian records unique success

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. The 13-year-old Armenian chess player Samuel Sevian (USA) had a unique success. As reports “Armenpress” citing Armchess website, at the tournament in Rockville Samuel scored a grandmaster norm for the third time and became the first chess player in the USA history who reaches the highest chess degree not being even 14. Let us remind that legendary Robert Fischer became grandmaster at the age of 15.

Now Sevian needs only to raise his Elo to 2500 so that FIDE could confirm the Grandmaster title of the Armenian chess player.

Samuel Sevian (born December 26, 2000) is an American chess prodigy of Armenian descent. He was born in Corning, New York. He currently holds the record for the youngest ever United States International Master at the age of 12 years and 10 months, besting Ray Robson's previous record by three months. He accomplished it by completing all the norm performances and reaching a FIDE rating of 2401 during the course of tournament play in Budapest, Hungary in November 2013. Sevian accomplished it while being the reigning World Champion in his age group U12. Sevian became an IM-elect by completing all three International Master norms before he turned 12.

Sevian started to play chess when he was 5. His first success came when he became the youngest Expert in USCF history, an achievement that was featured in an article in the Los Angeles Times by International Master John Peters. On December 9, 2010 Sevian broke another major record by becoming the youngest National Master in USCF history. Both records have since been broken by Awonder Liang. In 2012, Sevian completed all International Master norms by winning two Metropolitan International Master and one Grandmaster norm tournament held in Los Angeles. He became the World Champion in the U12 category in Maribor, Slovenia, November 7–19, 2012. His pre-tournament (FIDE) rating at the World Youth was 2347, almost 100 points above his nearest competitor. In May 2013, Sevian was invited to play in the U.S. Chess Championship in St. Louis as the youngest ever participant in US history. The field consisted of 24 players and Sevian scored 4/9, which placed him in shared 14th place ahead of several grandmasters. In June, Sevian, again the youngest in the field of competitors, played in the US Junior under 20 Championship, where he came second only half a point behind Daniel Naroditsky. Sevian was awarded the International Master title in November 2013 when he crossed the 2400 FIDE rating mark. Sevian is currently the highest FIDE rated player in the world for his age group. In 2014 Sevian completed all 3 GM Norms at the Foxwoods Open in January, Saint Louis GM Invitational in May and Washington International in August, which makes him the youngest ever American to have all the GM Norm requirements fulfilled at the age 13 years 7 months and 20 days.