Leon Luke Mendonca
Mendonca in 2023
Born (2006-03-13) 13 March 2006 (age 17)
Goa, India
TitleGrandmaster (2021)
FIDE rating2608 (January 2024)
Peak rating2628 (August 2023)

Leon Luke Mendonca (born 13 March 2006) is an Indian chess player. He is the sixty-seventh Indian to qualify for the title of Grandmaster, which FIDE awarded him in January 2021.

Chess career

Mendonca became an International Master (IM) in 2019 at the age of 12 years, 11 months and 3 days.[1] He got stuck in Eastern Europe due to COVID lockdowns in March, 2020. He attained his first Grandmaster norm at the Rigochess Grandmaster tournament in Hungary in October 2020. Within a span of 21 days, he won another Grandmaster tournament at Budapest earning him the second Grandmaster norm.[2] Mendonca achieved his third and final norm in December 2020 by finishing second at the Vergani Cup in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. He became the second grandmaster from the state of Goa after Anurag Mhamal achieving the feat at 14 years, 9 months and 17 days.[3][4] He was officially awarded the title of grandmaster (GM) in January 2021.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pinto, Basil Sylvester (2 July 2019). "I want to be a GM as soon as possible: Leon Luke Mendonca". ChessBase India. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Leon Mendonca wins in Hungary, earns second GM norm in space of 21 days". The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Goa's 14-year-old Leon Mendonca becomes India's 67th Grandmaster". Sportstar. Press Trust of India. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  4. ^ Prasad, RS (31 December 2020). "Leon becomes India's 67th Grandmaster". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Title Application" (PDF). fide.com. FIDE. Retrieved 27 January 2021.

External links

Indian Grandmasters
Categories