2023-10-04 02:10:09
A draw in the last round and here he is Junior World Chess Champion 2023. This Sunday, October 1, in Mexico City (Mexico), the young prodigy Marc’Andria Maurizzi joined the table of the very greats. The C’Chartres Chess player for three years achieved a perfect championship. “It’s indescribable, eleven rounds without a drop in power! » underlines François Gilles, the president of C’Chartres Échecs (CCE). “Everyone is amazed. We know he has the talent, but with this level he has moved to the next stage,” comments the man who followed the World Championships 9,000 km from Mexico.
“I wasn’t the favorite, but I said to myself: it’s possible”
The incredible performance of the very young “Marc’An”, 16 years old, allows him to appear in the very select club of French crowned under 20s, after the performances of Joël Lautier, titled at 15 in 1988, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, world number 5 and crowned in 2009 at 19 years old. “I’m very happy, it went well for me! I wasn’t the favorite but the number 1 lost, so I said to myself it’s possible,” says the brand new World Champion humbly.
On the other side of the Atlantic, in Chartres (Eure-et-Loir), François Gilles missed nothing of the exploits of his club’s prodigy. The president remains amazed by the prowess of his young protégé: “he signed in game 7 or 8 one of the most beautiful games of the year. He had a rider in hand, his creativity was exceptional. From the fifth round he was in the lead and he never left the lead. He managed with a mastery that impressed everyone.”
Victory or draw to be crowned
To win, the young Corsican had to win or draw in the last round. After a quick draw in round 10 with the black pieces, the CCE licensee had the advantage of the white pieces in the eleventh and final round to face Luka Budisavljevic, the only player tied on points with the Frenchman at the top of the competition. “It was stressful, I played solid, admits the teenager. There was a lot at stake and it wasn’t easy but it ended well,” smiles the Corsican.
Because by opening the game with a Sicilian Rossolimo, the Serbian, the youngest grandmaster in the history of chess in his country (16 years, 10 months and 7 days), showed himself to be particularly well prepared. But the Frenchman defended perfectly. “In the last game, his opponent tried to push him, but never managed to shake him. He made no mistake. He played waiting, more aggressive, he was able to change the game system, he was bluffing, it’s incredible,” exclaims François Gilles.
The C’Chartres Échecs, nursery of champions
With this half-point, the precocious Frenchman Marc’Andria Maurizzi seizes the prestigious world title at only 16 years old, after becoming the youngest French international master at 12 years old, and having obtained the status of international grandmaster at 14 years old. . U20 world champion at 16 years old, it’s stratospheric. A performance reminiscent of that of another prodigy from Chartres, Alireza Firouzja, who took the place of world number 2 in chess at the age of 18, in November 2021. “There is an impact, we see it. It attracts young people. It’s fabulous,” recognizes the happy director of C’Chartres Échecs, which has 360 members.
It now remains for the young Corsican to climb the last level, that of World Champion. “It’s a desire, but I still have time,” moderates the chess master. I have four years left in junior, I’m already going to try to achieve the double and then I’m going to do everything to become World Champion,” assures Marc’Andria. Five winners of the junior world championships have achieved this feat. For women Zhu Chen, and for men: Boris Spassky, Anatoli Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand. If Marc’Andria Maurizzi succeeded, he would be the first Frenchman!
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