The World Youth Chess Championship is a FIDE-organized worldwide chess competition for boys and girls under the age of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18. Twelve world champions are crowned every year. Since 2015, the event has been split into "World Cadets Chess Championship" (categories U8, U10 and U12) and "World Youth Chess Championship" (categories U14, U16 and U18).
Under-18 winners
edit| Year | Location | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 |  San Juan (Puerto Rico) |
 Gustavo Hernández (Dominican Republic) |
Hulda Figueroa (Puerto Rico)
|
| 1988 | Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) |
 Michael Hennigan (England) |
 Amelia Hernández (Venezuela)
|
| 1989 | Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) |
 Vladimir Akopian (Soviet Union) |
 Katrin Aladjova (Bulgaria)
|
| 1990 |  Singapore (Singapore) |
Sergei Tiviakov (Soviet Union) |
 Elena-Luminița Cosma (Romania)
|
| 1991 |  Guarapuava (Brazil) |
Vladimir Kramnik (Soviet Union) |
 Nataša Strižak (Yugoslavia)
|
| 1992 |  Duisburg (Germany) |
 Konstantin Sakaev (Russia) |
 Ilaha Kadimova (Azerbaijan)
|
| 1993 |  Bratislava (Slovakia) |
 Zoltán Almási (Hungary) |
Ilaha Kadimova (Azerbaijan)
|
| 1994 | Szeged (Hungary) |
 Peter Svidler (Russia) |
 Inna Gaponenko (Ukraine)
|
| 1995 | Guarapuava (Brazil) |
 Robert Kempiński (Poland) |
Corina Peptan (Romania)
|
| 1996 |  Cala Galdana (Spain) |
Rafael Leitão (Brazil) |
Marta Zielińska (Poland)
|
| 1997 |  Yerevan (Armenia) |
Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine) |
 Rusudan Goletiani (Georgia)
|
| 1998 | Oropesa del Mar (Spain) |
Nicholas Pert (England) |
Ruth Sheldon (England)
|
| 1999 | Oropesa del Mar (Spain) |
Dmitry Kokarev (Russia) |
 Aarthie Ramaswamy (India)
|
| 2000 | Oropesa del Mar (Spain) |
Francisco Vallejo Pons (Spain) |
Zeinab Mamedyarova (Azerbaijan)
|
| 2001 | Oropesa del Mar (Spain) |
Dmitry Jakovenko (Russia) |
Sopio Gvetadze (Georgia)
|
| 2002 |  Heraklio (Greece) |
Ferenc Berkes (Hungary) |
Elisabeth Pähtz (Germany)
|
| 2003 | Halkidiki (Greece) |
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) |
Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia)
|
| 2004 | Heraklio (Greece) |
Radosław Wojtaszek (Poland) |
Jolanta Zawadzka (Poland)
|
| 2005 |  Belfort (France) |
Ildar Khairullin (Russia) |
 Maka Purtseladze (Georgia)
|
| 2006 | Batumi (Georgia) |
Arik Braun (Germany) |
Dronavalli Harika (India)
|
| 2007 |  Kemer/Antalya (Turkey) |
Ivan Popov (Russia) |
Valentina Gunina (Russia)
|
| 2008 |  Vũng Tàu (Vietnam) |
 Ivan Šarić (Croatia) |
Valentina Golubenko (Croatia)
|
| 2009 | Antalya (Turkey) |
Maxim Matlakov (Russia) |
Olga Girya (Russia)
|
| 2010 | Porto Carras (Greece) |
 Steven Zierk (United States) |
Narmin Kazimova (Azerbaijan)
|
| 2011 | Caldas Novas (Brazil) |
Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (Armenia) |
Meri Arabidze (Georgia)
|
| 2012 |  Maribor (Slovenia) |
Dariusz Świercz (Poland) |
Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia)
|
| 2013 |  Al-Ain (UAE) |
 Pouya Idani (Iran) |
Lidia Tomnikova (Russia)
|
| 2014 |  Durban (South Africa) |
Olexandr Bortnyk (Ukraine) |
 Dinara Saduakassova (Kazakhstan)
|
| 2015 | Porto Carras (Greece) |
Masoud Mosadeghpour (Iran) |
M. Mahalakshmi (India)
|
| 2016 | Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) |
Manuel Petrosyan (Armenia) |
Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece)
|
| 2017 |  Montevideo (Uruguay) |
 José Eduardo Martínez (Peru) |
Laura Unuk (Slovenia)
|
| 2018 | Halkidiki (Greece) |
Viktor Gažík (Slovakia) |
Polina Shuvalova (Russia)
|
| 2019 | Mumbai (India) |
Riaan Dadwal (India) |
Polina Shuvalova (Russia)
|
| 2020 | Online | Riaan Dadwal (India)
|
Carissa Yip (United States)
|
| 2021 | Online | Nikolaos Spyropoulos (Greece)
|
Govhar Beydullayeva (Azerbaijan)
|
| 2022 | Mamaia (Romania) |
 Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux (Canada) |
Mariam Mkrtchyan (Armenia)
|
| 2023 |  Montesilvano (Italy) |
 Aleksey Grebnev (FIDE) |
Ayan Allahverdiyeva (Azerbaijan)
|
| 2024 | Florianopolis (Brazil) |
Aleksey Grebnev (FIDE) |
Olga Karmanova (FIDE)
|
Cadets and Under-16 winners
editUnofficial U18 Cadets
editYear Location Boys 1974 
Pont St. Maxence (France)
Jonathan Mestel (England)
1975 Creil (France) David Goodman (England)
Official U17 Cadets
editYear Location Boys 1976 Wattignies (France)
Nir Grinberg (Israel)
1977 Cagnes-sur-Mer (France)
Jon Arnason (Iceland)
1978 
Sas van Gent (Netherlands)
Paul Motwani (Scotland)
1979 Belfort (France)
Marcelo Javier Tempone (Argentina)
1980 Le Havre (France)
Valery Salov (Soviet Union)
Under-16
editYear Location Boys Girls 1981 Embalse, Córdoba (Argentina)(†) Stuart Conquest (England)
Susan Polgar (Hungary)
1982 
Guayaquil (Ecuador) Evgeny Bareev (Soviet Union)not held 1983 
Bucaramanga (Colombia) Alexey Dreev (Soviet Union)not held 1984 Champigny-sur-Marne (France) Alexey Dreev (Soviet Union) Ildikó Mádl (Hungary)
1985 Petah Tikva (Israel)
Eduardo Rojas Sepulveda (Chile)
Mirjana Marić (Yugoslavia)
1986 Río Gallegos (Argentina) Vladimir Akopian (Soviet Union)
Katrin Aladjova (Bulgaria)
1987 
Innsbruck (Austria) Hannes Stefánsson (Iceland) Alisa Galliamova (Soviet Union)
1988 
Timișoara (Romania) Alexei Shirov (Soviet Union) Alisa Galliamova (Soviet Union)
1989 
Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) Sergei Tiviakov (Soviet Union)
Krystyna Dąbrowska (Poland)
1990 
Singapore (Singapore) Konstantin Sakaev (Soviet Union) Tea Lanchava (Soviet Union)
1991 
Guarapuava (Brazil) Dharshan Kumaran (England) Nino Khurtsidze (Soviet Union)
1992 
Duisburg (Germany) Ronen Har-Zvi (Israel)
Almira Skripchenko (Moldova)
1993 
Bratislava (Slovakia)
Đào Thiên Hải (Vietnam)
Elina Danielian (Armenia)
1994 Szeged (Hungary) Peter Leko (Hungary)
Natalia Zhukova (Ukraine)
1995 Guarapuava (Brazil)
Hrvoje Stević (Croatia)
Rusudan Goletiani (Georgia)
1996 
Cala Galdana (Spain) Alik Gershon (Israel) Anna Zozulia (Ukraine)
1997 Yerevan (Armenia)
Levente Vajda (Romania)
Xu Yuanyuan (China)
1998 Oropesa del Mar (Spain)
Ibragim Khamrakulov (Uzbekistan) Wang Yu (China)
1999 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Leonid Kritz (Germany) Sopiko Khukhashvili (Georgia)
2000 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Zviad Izoria (Georgia) Sopiko Khukhashvili (Georgia)
2001 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Konstantine Shanava (Georgia) Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia)
2002 
Heraklio (Greece) Levan Pantsulaia (Georgia)
Tamara Chistiakova (Russia)
2003 Halkidiki (Greece)
Borki Predojević (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Polina Malysheva (Russia)
2004 Heraklio (Greece) Maxim Rodshtein (Israel)
Bela Khotenashvili (Georgia)
2005 Belfort (France)
Alex Lenderman (United States)
Anna Muzychuk (Slovenia)
2006 Batumi (Georgia) Jacek Tomczak (Poland) Sopiko Guramishvili (Georgia)
2007 
Kemer/Antalya (Turkey) Ioan-Cristian Chirilă (Romania) Keti Tsatsalashvili (Georgia)
2008 Vũng Tàu (Vietnam)
Adhiban Baskaran (India) Nazí Paikidze (Georgia)
2009 Antalya (Turkey) S. P. Sethuraman (India)
Deysi Cori (Peru)
2010 Porto Carras (Greece) Kamil Dragun (Poland)
Nastassia Ziaziulkina (Belarus)
2011 Caldas Novas (Brazil) Jorge Cori (Peru) Nastassia Ziaziulkina (Belarus)
2012 Maribor (Slovenia) Urii Eliseev (Russia) Anna Styazhkina (Russia)
2013 
Al-Ain (UAE) Murali Karthikeyan (India) Gu Tianlu (China)
2014 
Durban (South Africa) Alan Pichot (Argentina) Laura Unuk (Slovenia)
2015 Porto Carras (Greece) Roven Vogel (Germany) Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece)
2016 Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) Haik M. Martirosyan (Armenia) Hagawane Aakanksha (India)
2017 
Montevideo (Uruguay) Andrey Esipenko (Russia) Annie Wang (United States)
2018 Halkidiki (Greece) Shant Sargsyan (Armenia) Annmarie Muetsch (Germany)
2019 Mumbai (India) Rudik Makarian (Russia) Leya Garifullina (Russia)
2020 Online Frederik Svane (Germany)
Rakshitta Ravi (India)
2021 Online Volodar Murzin (Russia)
Xeniya Balabayeva (Kazakhstan)
2022 Mamaia (Romania) Riaan Dadwal (India)
Munkhzul Davaakhuu (Mongolia)
2023 
Montesilvano (Italy) Jakub Seemann (Poland) Wang Chuqiao (China)
2024 Florianopolis (Brazil) Javier Habans Aguerrea (Spain) Afruza Khamdamova (Uzbekistan)
- (†) The girls tournament was held separately, in Westergate, England.
Under-14 winners
editWorld Infant Cup
editYear Location Boys 1979 
Durango (Mexico) Miroljub Lazić (Yugoslavia)
1980 Mazatlán (Mexico) Julio Granda (Peru)
1981 Xalapa (Mexico) Saeed Ahmed Saeed (United Arab Emirates)
1984 Lomas de Zamora (Argentina) Lluís Comas Fabregó (Spain)
Boys & Girls
editYear Location Boys Girls 1985 Lomas de Zamora (Argentina) Ilya Gurevich (United States) Sandra Villegas (Argentina)
1986 San Juan (Puerto Rico) Joël Lautier (France) Zsofia Polgar (Hungary)
1987 San Juan (Puerto Rico) Miroslav Marković (Yugoslavia) Cathy Haslinger (England)
1988 Timișoara (Romania) Eran Liss (Israel) Tea Lanchava (Soviet Union)
1989 Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) Anna Segal (Soviet Union)
1990 Fond du Lac (United States) Judit Polgár (Hungary) Diana Darchia (Soviet Union)
1991 Warsaw (Poland) Marcin Kamiński (Poland) Corina Peptan (Romania)
1992 Duisburg (Germany)
Jurij Tihonov (Belarus) Elina Danielian (Armenia)
1993 Bratislava (Slovakia)
Vladimir Malakhov (Russia) Ruth Sheldon (England)
1994 Szeged (Hungary) Alik Gershon (Israel) Rusudan Goletiani (Georgia)
1995 São Lourenço (Brazil) Valeriane Gaprindashvili (Georgia) Xu Yuanyuan (China)
1996 Cala Galdana (Spain) Gabriel Sargissian (Armenia) Wang Yu (China)
1997 Cannes (France) Sergey Grigoriants (Russia) Ana Matnadze (Georgia)
1998 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Bu Xiangzhi (China) Nadezhda Kosintseva (Russia)
1999 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Zahar Efimenko (Ukraine) Zhao Xue (China)
2000 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Alexander Areshchenko (Ukraine) Humpy Koneru (India)
2001 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Viktor Erdős (Hungary) Salome Melia (Georgia)
2002 Heraklio (Greece) Luka Lenič (Slovenia)
Laura Rogule (Latvia)
2003 Halkidiki (Greece) Sergei Zhigalko (Belarus) Valentina Gunina (Russia)
2004 Heraklio (Greece) Ildar Khairullin (Russia) Dronavalli Harika (India)
2005 Belfort (France) Lê Quang Liêm (Vietnam) Elena Tairova (Russia)
2006 Batumi (Georgia)
Vasif Durarbayli (Azerbaijan) Klaudia Kulon (Poland)
2007 Kemer/Antalya (Turkey) Sanan Sjugirov (Russia) Nazí Paikidze (Georgia)
2008 Vũng Tàu (Vietnam) Vidit Gujrathi (India) Padmini Rout (India)
2009 Antalya (Turkey) Jorge Cori Tello (Perù) Marsel Efroimski (Israel)
2010 Porto Carras (Greece) Kanan Izzat (Azerbaijan) Dinara Saduakassova (Kazakhstan)
2011 Caldas Novas (Brazil) Kirill Alekseenko (Russia) Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia)
2012 Maribor (Slovenia) Kayden Troff (United States) M. Mahalakshmi (India)
2013 Al-Ain (UAE) Li Di (China) Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece)
2014 Durban (South Africa) Liu Yan (China)
Qiyu Zhou (Canada)
2015 Porto Carras (Greece) Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) R. Vaishali (India)
2016 Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) Semen Lomasov (Russia) Zhu Jiner (China)
2017 Montevideo (Uruguay) Batsuren Dambasuren (Mongolia) Jishitha D (India)
2018 Halkidiki (Greece) Pedro Antonio Ginés Esteo (Spain) Ning Kaiyu (China)
2019 Mumbai (India) Aydin Suleymanli (Azerbaijan) Meruert Kamalidenova (Kazakhstan)
2020 Online [Riaan Dadwal]] (India)
Eline Roebers (Netherlands)
2021 Online Ediz Gürel (Turkey)
Zsóka Gaál (Hungary)
2022 Mamaia (Romania) Riaan Dadwal (India) Zarina Nurgaliyeva (Kazakhstan)
2023 Montesilvano (Italy) Pawel Sowinski (Poland) Afruza Khamdamova (Uzbekistan)
2024 Florianopolis (Brazil) Patryk Cieslak (Poland)
Diana Khafizova (FIDE)
Under-12 winners
editYear Location Boys Girls 1986 San Juan (Puerto Rico) Dharshan Kumaran (England) Dalines Borges (Puerto Rico)
1987 San Juan (Puerto Rico) Hedinn Steingrimsson (Iceland) Yvonne Krawiec (United States)
1988 Timișoara (Romania) Judit Polgár (Hungary) Zhu Chen (China)
1989 Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) Marcin Kamiński (Poland) Diana Darchia (Soviet Union)
1990 Fond du Lac (United States) Boris Avrukh (Soviet Union) Corina Peptan (Romania)
1991 Warsaw (Poland) Rafael Leitão (Brazil) Dalia Blimke (Poland)
1992 Duisburg (Germany) Giorgi Bakhtadze (Georgia) Iweta Radziewicz (Poland)
1993 Bratislava (Slovakia) Evgeny Shaposhnikov (Russia) Eugenia Chasovnikova (Russia)
1994 Szeged (Hungary) Levon Aronian (Armenia) Nguyen Thi Dung (Vietnam)
1995 São Lourenço (Brazil) Étienne Bacrot (France)
Viktorija Čmilytė (Lithuania)
1996 Cala Galdana (Spain) Kamil Mitoń (Poland) Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia)
1997 Cannes (France) Alexander Riazantsev (Russia) Zhao Xue (China)
1998 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) Humpy Koneru (India)
1999 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Wang Yue (China) Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia)
2000 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Deep Sengupta (India)
Atousa Pourkashiyan (Iran)
2001 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine) Shen Yang (China)
2002 Heraklio (Greece) Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) Tan Zhongyi (China)
2003 Halkidiki (Greece) Wei Chenpeng (China) Ding Yixin (China)
2004 Heraklio (Greece) Zhao Nan (China) Klaudia Kulon (Poland)
2005 Belfort (France) Srinath Narayanan (India) Meri Arabidze (Georgia)
2006 Batumi (Georgia) Robert Aghasaryan (Armenia) Mariam Danelia (Georgia)
2007 Kemer/Antalya (Turkey) Daniel Naroditsky (United States) Marsel Efroimski (Israel)
2008 Vũng Tàu (Vietnam) Sayantan Das (India) Zhai Mo (China)
2009 Antalya (Turkey)
Bobby Cheng (Australia) Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iran)
2010 Porto Carras (Greece) Wei Yi (China) Iulija Osmak (Ukraine)
2011 Caldas Novas (Brazil) Karthikeyan Murali (India) Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kazakhstan)
2012 Maribor (Slovenia) Samuel Sevian (United States) R. Vaishali (India)
2013 Al-Ain (UAE) Aram Hakobyan (Armenia) Zhao Shengxin (China)
2014 Durban (South Africa) Nguyễn Anh Khôi (Vietnam) Jennifer Yu (United States)
2015 Porto Carras (Greece) Mahammad Muradli (Azerbaijan)
Nurgyul Salimova (Bulgaria)
2016 Batumi (Georgia) Nikhil Kumar (United States) Bibisara Assaubayeva (Russia)
2017 Poços de Caldas (Brazil) Vincent Tsay (United States) Divya Deshmukh (India)
2018 Santiago de Compostela (Spain) Riaan Dadwal (India) Savitha Shri B (India)
2019 Weifang (China) Liran Zhou (United States) Galina Mikheeva (Russia)
2020 Online Dimitar Mardov (United States)
Alice Lee (United States)
2021 Online Ihor Samunenkov (Ukraine)
Alice Lee (United States)
2022 Batumi (Georgia) Artem Uskov (FIDE) Shubhi Gupta (India)
2023 
Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) Khuong Duy Dau (Vietnam)
Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana (Sri Lanka)
Under-10 winners
editYear Location Boys Girls 1986 San Juan (Puerto Rico) Jeff Sarwer (Canada) Julia Sarwer (Canada)
1987 San Juan (Puerto Rico) John Viloria (United States) Suzanna Urminska (United States)
1988 Timișoara (Romania) John Viloria (United States)
Horge Hasbun (Honduras)
Corina Peptan (Romania)
1989 Aguadilla (Puerto Rico)
Irwin Irnandi (Indonesia) Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria)
1990 Fond du Lac (United States) Nawrose Farh Nur (United States) Evelyn Moncayo Romero (Ecuador)
1991 Warsaw (Poland) Adrien Leroy (France) Carmen Voicu (Romania)
1992 Duisburg (Germany) Luke McShane (England) Parvana Ismaïlova (Azerbaijan)
1993 Bratislava (Slovakia) Étienne Bacrot (France) Ana Matnadze (Georgia)
1994 Szeged (Hungary) Sergey Grishchenko (Russia) Svetlana Cherednichenko (Ukraine)
1995 São Lourenço (Brazil) Boris Grachev (Russia) Alina Motoc (Romania)
1996 Cala Galdana (Spain) Pentala Harikrishna (India) Maria Kursova (Russia)
1997 Cannes (France) Javad Alavi (Iran) Humpy Koneru (India)
1998 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Evgeny Romanov (Russia) Vera Nebolsina (Russia)
1999 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Dmitry Andreikin (Russia) Kateryna Lahno (Ukraine)
2000 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn (Vietnam) Tan Zhongyi (China)
2001 Oropesa del Mar (Spain) Tamas Fodor Jr. (Hungary) Tan Zhongyi (China)
2002 Heraklio (Greece) Eltaj Safarli (Azerbaijan) Lara Stock (Croatia)
2003 Halkidiki (Greece) Sanan Sjugirov (Russia) Hou Yifan (China)
2004 Heraklio (Greece) Yu Yangyi (China) Meri Arabidze (Georgia)
2005 Belfort (France) Sahaj Grover (India) Wang Jue (China)
2006 Batumi (Georgia) Koushik Girish (India) Choletti Sahajasri (India)
2007 Kemer/Antalya (Turkey) Wang Tongsen (China) Anna Styazhkina (Russia)
2008 Vũng Tàu (Vietnam) Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia)
2009 Antalya (Turkey) Bai Jinshi (China) Gunay Mammadzada (Azerbaijan)
2010 Porto Carras (Greece) Jason Cao (Canada) Nomin-Erdene Davaademberel (Mongolia)
2011 Caldas Novas (Brazil) Zhu Yi (China) Alexandra Obolentseva (Russia)
2012 Maribor (Slovenia) Nguyễn Anh Khôi (Vietnam) Nutakki Priyanka (India)
2013 Al-Ain (UAE) Awonder Liang (United States) Saina Salonika (India)
2014 Durban (South Africa) Nihal Sarin (India) Divya Deshmukh (India)
2015 Porto Carras (Greece) R. Praggnanandhaa (India) Ravi Rakshitta (India)
2016 Batumi (Georgia) Ilya Makoveev (Russia) Rochelle Wu (United States)
2017 Poços de Caldas (Brazil) Liran Zhou (United States) Wei Yaqing (China)
2018 Santiago de Compostela (Spain) Jin Yueheng (China) Samantha Edithso (Indonesia)
2019 Weifang (China) Savva Vetokhin (Russia) Alice Lee (United States)
2020 Online Sina Movahed (Iran)
Omya Vidyarthi (United States)
2021 Online Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş (Turkey)
Diana Preobrazhenskaya (Russia)
2022 Batumi (Georgia) David Lacan Rus (France) Nika Venskaya (FIDE)
2023 Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) Danis Kuandykuly (Kazakhstan) Tianhao Xue (China)
Under-8 winners
edit
See also
editNotes
edit- The main source of reference is indicated beneath each year's entry.
Tournament history
The first predecessor of the youth championship was the Cadet Championship. It started off unofficially in 1974 in France for players under 18. The 1975 edition was for U17 but the age limit was not enforced. The 1976 featured very young players such as Julian Hodgson (12) and Garry Kasparov (13) and was recognised by FIDE as the World Championship for Cadets for players under 17 . In 1981 the age limit was reduced to under 16, applicable at the start of the year the championship is played in. It was also the year in which the first girls' championship for U16 was played.
In 1979, International Year of the Child, the first edition of the World Infant Cup was played for under 14. This cup had four editions, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1984. In 1985 the U14 event was included in the first edition of the World Youth Chess Festival for Peace. Subsequently, the age categories U10, U12 and U18 were introduced. In 1987 the festival included the sections U10, U12, U14 and U18, while the U16 was held separately. In 1988, U16 was incorporated, but U18 was held separately. It was not until 1989 that the festival included all five age categories. Later, the U16 and U18 were sometimes played at separately from the U10, U12 and U14, as was the case in 1990, 1991, 1995 and 1997. In 1997 the name of tournament was changed to the World Youth Chess Championships. The under 8 category was first introduced in 2006.
1974 – Pont-Sainte-Maxence, France, 2–13 July – The first World Cadet Championship was an Under-18 event, organised by the French chess authorities. Thirty players took part in an 11-round Swiss. Englishman Jonathan Mestel won by a one-and-a-half point margin, scoring +8−0=3. The silver and bronze medals went to Evgeny Vladimirov and Oskar Orel, respectively. Also competing were the Canadian Jean Hébert and the Lebanese Bachar Kouatly.
- --- The Batsford Chess Yearbook, Kevin J O'Connell (ed.) (1975, Batsford) p. 128
1975 – Creil, France, 1–12 July – The second World Cadets was once again a French organised Under-18 event, comprising twenty-five players in an 11-round Swiss. David Goodman of England won the gold medal (8½/11), with silver going to Terence Wong of Singapore (8/11) and bronze to Predrag Nikolić of Yugoslavia (7/11). Also with 7 points was Australia's Ian Rogers, taking a share of third place. The West German Eric Lobron and Lebanese Bachar Kouatly were two future grandmasters who also took part.
- --- The Batsford Chess Yearbook 1975/76, Kevin J O'Connell (ed.) (1976, Batsford) p. 73
1978 – Sas-van-Gent, Netherlands, December 1978 – January 1979 – The World Cadets tournament was held over the New Year. Scotland gained its first ever world champion in chess, Paul Motwani from the city of Dundee. Following closely were England's Nigel Short, aged only 13, and Jose Huergo of Cuba, who required a tie-break to separate them. Other well known players in the pack included Ivan Morovic of Chile and Jóhann Hjartarson of Iceland.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 44. March p. 191
1979 – Belfort, France – (July) – For a second successive year, England's Nigel Short (age 14) narrowly failed to take the World Cadets title, after losing out to his Argentine rival, Marcelo Tempone on the sum of opponent's scores rule (a method of tie-break). Third place was taken by Ivan Morovic and further down the field were future grandmasters Gilberto Milos, Joel Benjamin, Jan Ehlvest, Alon Greenfeld and Jóhann Hjartarson.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 44. October p. 368
1980 – Le Havre, France – (? – ?) – The World Cadet Championship (for players under 17 on 1 September 1980) was played alongside the familiar Le Havre Open chess tournament. A total of fifty-one 'cadets' represented forty-nine different countries. France fielded three players, two by right and a third when immigration officials mysteriously refused entry to the Pakistan entrant. The winner, Valery Salov, displayed the usual Soviet formula of good preparation and technique, with strategically planned draws against his nearest rivals, Alon Greenfeld and Joel Benjamin. Greenfeld might have tied first, but lost his crucial last round game with Benjamin, despite having the white pieces. Some of the players and their seconds were unhappy about the conditions, particularly the dormitory-style accommodation and food quality. Many also felt that the Brazilian, Gilberto Milos, was unfairly treated when his twice adjourned game was concluded on the free day without prior warning. He was awoken at 9.10 am and told that his clock had been started. Understandably upset, he played and lost, his follow-up protest falling on deaf ears. The list of entries also contained future grandmasters Suat Atalık and Dibyendu Barua, among others.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 45. Aug–Sept p. 237
1989 – Aguadilla, Puerto Rico – (28 July – 9 August) – There were 54 countries and 281 juniors participating. Living conditions were quite stretched as the organisers were not expecting the players to be accompanied by more than 200 adults. Regrettably, there was a shortage of competent decision-making organisers, but a friendly, good humoured atmosphere prevailed and the problems were resolved amicably. A variety of tie-breaking systems were used to separate the final places. In the case of the Boys Under-10 category, the resulting split was particularly harsh on the Brazilian Rafael Leitão, who was deprived of a gold medal on the basis of 'strength of first round opponent'. Antoaneta Stefanova, the winner of the girls Under-10 event, was already being talked about as a future women's world champion. IM Bob Wade attended the event and felt that the most successful countries were those that prepared their competitors best in terms of 'basic' rather than 'opening' training. Among the lesser medals were; Alex Sherzer (silver, U-18), Christopher Lutz (bronze, U-18), Matthew Sadler (silver, U-16), Vladimir Kramnik (silver, U-14), Peter Leko (bronze, U-10). In the girls events, Tea Lanchava took silver in the U-16 and Corina Peptan, bronze in the U-12.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 54. November pp. 26–27
1990 – Fond du Lac, USA – (14–22 July) – Wisconsin's Marian College hosted the 5th World Youth Festival, which attracted 170 players from 44 nations. With federation officials and parental entourages, this number swelled to more than 300. It was the first time that the USA had hosted a chess event of this size and importance and the accommodation and conditions received high praise from the competitors. Judit Polgár celebrated victory on her fourteenth birthday (23 July), by taking the gold medal in the Boys U-14 event. This was the second occasion on which she had successfully competed in the Boys category. Her father, Laszlo Polgar, pointed out that Judit's last three 'world' competitions, including the Thessaloniki Olympiad, had resulted in a score of +26 =9 -0. Vasily Emelin of the USSR and Gabriel Schwartzman of Romania finished in silver and bronze medal places. Russia's Diana Darchia won the corresponding Girls' U-14 event from the USSR's Inna Gaponenko and Hungarian Monika Grabics. In the Boys U-12, Boris Avrukh outdistanced second placed John Viloria and third placed Peter Leko. Corina Peptan was triumphant in the Girls U-12, ahead of Monika Bobrowska and Nikoletta Lakos. In the Boys U-10, Nawrose Nur won by a good margin from the Romanian Alin Berescu and Adrien Leroy of France. Ecuador's Evelyn Moncayo took gold in the Girls U-10, while Claudia Bilciu of Romania and Jovanka Houska of England took silver and bronze, respectively. New In Chess Best Game awards were chaired by Arnold Denker and won by Judit Polgár, Yvonne Krawiec, Tal Shaked, Corina Peptan, Francisco Vallejo Pons and Claudia Bilciu. Polgar made it a clean sweep by winning an Under-14 Blitz tournament from Vasily Emelin and Ronan Har-Zvi of Israel.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 55. October p. 5 and November p. 26
1992 – Duisburg, Germany – (29 June – 13 July) – The venue, a large sports complex, was playing host to over 500 competitors engaged in 10 World Junior Championships. There were initially some problems with overcrowding, but these were quickly sorted out by the organisers. There was a commentary room where those who had finished their games could benefit from the expert opinion of Grandmaster Helmut Pfleger. TV screens were displayed throughout the venue to cover the positions on the top boards. Peter Leko of Hungary, the world's youngest IM at the time, played in the U-14 event and was expected to win with an enormous Elo rating advantage over his closest rival. However, his opponents had not read the script and he finished a disappointing fourth. There was a shock too in the Girls' U-14 section, when the Romanian Corina Peptan, top seed and national champion at 14, only managed to secure the silver medal. In contrast, the U-18 events went according to expectation with Sakaev (in the Boys/Open) and Kadimova (in the Girls) totally dominant. There was a good showing from the English contingent; by comparison other western European nations failed miserably. McShane won the Boys/Open U-10 event, despite being the youngest competitor at 8. Ruth Sheldon took silver in the U-12 Girls and Harriet Hunt a bronze in the U-14 Girls, even though she was heavily outrated.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 57. September pp. 20–22
1993 – Bratislava, Slovakia – (17–29 July) – Held at the Park of Culture and Leisure, the Slovakian Federation played host to a record number of participants from a staggering 78 nations. Unfortunately the tournament got off to a bad start, before even a game had been played. The organisers had implemented an arduous registration process, designed to catch late registrants and penalise them or their federation with a $100 U.S. late entry fee. It appeared to be a cynical attempt at earning the organising committee a tidy sum. There were a number of protests; some paid up and others refused. Before things turned too nasty, Florencio Campomanes stepped in and ordered a reduction in the fee, which helped patch things up. However, the French were so upset that they decided to boycott the opening celebrations. Attending the closing ceremony was former World Champion Anatoly Karpov, the guest of honour replacing Campomanes on his departure. The contest contained a few surprises; Malakhov edged out Peter Leko in the Boys U-14 and a similar fate awaited the rapidly improving Vallejo Pons in the Boys U-12.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 58. October pp. 16–18
1994 – Szeged, Hungary – (August) – Peter Leko finally got his gold medal, this time in the U-16 Boys event. Bearing in mind his past disappointments, other high-profile players missed gold medals at this event, including 2 future World Champions. In retrospect, this underlines the strength of the event. Among those taking home silver medals, were Alexandra Kosteniuk (U-10 Girls), Étienne Bacrot (U-12 Boys) and Rustam Kasimdzhanov (U-16 Boys). There was an impressive showing from the Ukrainian Girls Squad, taking 3 of the 5 gold medals on offer.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 59. January p. 48
1998 – Oropesa del Mar, Spain – (October – November) – The Marina d'Or venue played host to over 1000 players from 48 countries. Russia's bright prospect Alexander Grischuk, already an International Master with a near Grandmaster rating, was (at 15 years) participating in the U-18 category. England turned up with a strong looking squad and performed even above their own expectations, landing two gold medals. Russia's Kosintseva sisters did enough to suggest they might become a powerful force in Ladies chess for years to come; Nadezhda took gold in the U-14 and Tatiana took silver in the U-12. The Boys / Open U-14 category comprised an unusually strong list of entrants, with David Navara and Zahar Efimenko taking silver and bronze respectively.
- --- CHESS magazine Vol 63. December pp. 37–40
External links
edit- Several results, all age categories: 1974–2004
- Several results, all age categories: 1974–2004
- World Cadet Chess Championship: 1974–2007
- Results 1997 edition: U16,U18 Archived 8 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Results from chess.gr: 1996 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 1998 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 2001 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 2002 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 2003 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Homepages: 2004, 2007, 2012 2018
- Romanian successes in the championship: 1974–2007 Archived 17 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- 2007 edition from Chessbase: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]
- 2009 official site
- On the 1987 edition: 1987