Luca Protopopescu
.jpg) Luca Protopopescu in 2025 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 27, 2016 |
| Chess career | |
| Country | France |
| Title | Candidate Master (2025) |
| Peak rating | 2217 (May 2025) |
Luca Protopopescu (born 27 March 2016) is a French chess prodigy. Vice-U8 Europe champion in 2023,[1][2] ranked number one in the world for under-8s, under-9s and then under-10s,[3] in April 2025, he became the youngest player in chess history to surpass the 2200 Elo point threshold at the age of 9 years and 5 days (notably after beating his former coach, international master Guillaume Philippe, at the Hyères tournament in February 2025, and winning the B tournament at the Cannes International Open),[4] beating the previous record set by England's Ethan Pang in 2024 at the age of 9 years and 103 days.[3]
Early life
[edit]He has been a member of the club Marseille-Échecs of the French Chess Federation since the age of 4, shortly after learning the rules of the game in March 2020 during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.[5]
He was French champion in the under-8 age group in 2024,[6][7] and he is the current under-10 French champion age group since May 2025.[8][9]
Since September 2024, he has been coached at his club by Turkish grandmaster Mert Erdoğdu.[3]
At the beginning of March 2025, he created a surprise by winning the B tournament (reserved for players under 2200 Elo) at the Cannes International Open.[4] Since the end of March 2025, he has been sponsored by Turkish entrepreneur Evren Üçok,[3] co-founder of Trendyol.
According to a local profile, Protopopescu said, “Je préfère jouer que gagner” (“I prefer playing to winning”).[10]
Records
[edit]On 10 April 2025, Protopopescu became the youngest player to surpass the 2200 FIDE classical rating threshold, at 9 years and 5 days, eclipsing the previous mark set by England's Ethan Pang in 2024.[3][11] On the April 2025 FIDE rating list he was recorded at 2216 and ranked first among players under 10 worldwide.[12]
Titles
[edit]FIDE lists Protopopescu with the title of Candidate Master (CM), awarded in 2025.[12]
Notable tournament results
[edit]| Year | Event | Section | Place | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | European Youth Chess Championship (Budva, Montenegro) | U10 | 1st | 7.5/9 | Performance 2236 |
| 2025 | Open International d'échecs de Cannes | Open B | 1st | 7.5/9 | Performance 2276; seeded 54th of 181 |
| 2025 | 1er Tournoi Open de Fevrier 2025 de Hyeres | Open | 1st | 5.5/6 | Wins vs IM Guillaume Philippe; performance ~2336 |
He won the French under-10 national title at Vichy in May 2025.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "La France récolte quatre médailles aux Championnats d'Europe Jeunes". Europe Échecs. 2023..
- ^ "Quatre médailles pour les tricolores aux Championnats d'Europe d'Échecs des Jeunes !". Fédération française des échecs. 2023..
- ^ a b c d e Svensen, Tarjei J. (2025). "Luca Protopopescu Becomes Youngest Ever to Break 2200 Rating Barrier At 9 !". chess.com..
- ^ a b "Panneerselvam Iniyan remporte l'Open International d'échecs de Cannes". Europe Échecs. 4 March 2025..
- ^ Bessard, Theo (2025). "Luca, 8 ans, Marseillais et numéro 1 mondial d'échecs : "Je préfère jouer que gagner"". La Provence..
- ^ "Les podiums du championnat". 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Fédération Française des Échecs".
- ^ "Les podiums du Championnat de France Jeunes 2025". 4 May 2025.
- ^ "Fédération Française des Échecs".
- ^ Bessard, Theo (2025). "Luca, 8 ans, Marseillais et numéro 1 mondial d'échecs : "Je préfère jouer que gagner"". La Provence. La Provence. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "Luca Protopopescu, 9 ans, devient le plus jeune joueur à franchir la barre des 2200 Elo aux échecs !". Europe Echecs. Europe Echecs. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Protopopescu, Luca". FIDE Ratings. FIDE. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "Les podiums du Championnat de France Jeunes 2025". Fédération Française des Échecs. Fédération Française des Échecs. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
External links
[edit]- Luca Protopopescu rating card at FIDE
 | This article needs additional or more specific categories. (May 2025) |