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Argentine Youngsters Stand Out at World Blitz as Oro Surges, Francisco Finishes 50th

Two prodigies capped Doha with rating gains that signal Argentina’s growing footprint in elite blitz.

Overview

  • Faustino Oro, 12, closed the Open on 10.5/19 and placed 72nd after being seeded 132nd, gaining about 37 blitz Elo points to roughly 2540.
  • Candela Francisco, 19, opened 7/10 in the women’s top 10 and finished with 8/15 around 50th place, posting a small net Elo gain of about six points.
  • Oro faced only grandmasters and scored a Round‑1 win over Levon Aronian, adding victories over several higher‑rated opponents across both days.
  • Francisco’s run featured notable wins over Lei Tingjie and former world champion Mariya Muzychuk before a tougher closing session.
  • The Doha event used a 3+2 time control with fields of ~250 in the Open and ~140 in the women’s championship, and Argentine media cast the performances as a year‑end lift; Oro now plans the Tata Steel Challenger in January.