Instant grandmaster

Fide, the international chess federation, awards a succession of titles on the way to grandmaster (GM) status – Candidate Master (CM), Fide Master (FM) and International Master (IM). These are significant milestones which usually represent years of effort, so it almost never happens that a player can ‘jump’ to grandmaster level without first becoming an IM. But 16-year-old Xue Haowen from Shenzhen, China is one of the rare exceptions.

At the outset of the Hastings Masters, which began in the days after Christmas, Xue was seeded sixth, but he had no title, and his rating was based on just a handful of international events in the past few years.

But to call him a complete unknown would be an exaggeration. In 2023, his grandmaster-level performance in Dubai included a win against Hans Niemann, and he led the Chinese team to victory at the World Youth U16 Olympiad in Eindhoven. April 2024 saw him achieve consistent results in rapid chess against established Chinese grandmasters, while in the summer he took first place at the strong Arona Chess Festival in Tenerife. He is said to be considering applying to British universities.

His stellar performance at Hastings, taking outright first place at 7/9, is the final qualifying result which earns Xue his grandmaster title. Here is his emphatic victory from the first round of the tournament.

James Golding–Xue Haowen

Caplin Hastings Masters, December 2024

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ The stolid Bogo-Indian defence is an atypical choice for dynamic young players, but the game does not remain quiet for long. 4 Bd2 Qe7 5 g3 Nc6 6 a3 Bxd2+ 7 Qxd2 d5 8 b3 dxc4!? This move and its follow up bring the game to life. 9 bxc4 e5 10 d5 e4 11 Nd4 Ne5 12 Qc3 c5! An excellent move, which was the product of almost 40 minutes’ thought.