3 min readUpdated: Apr 22, 2026 05:30 PM IST
Ukrainian teenager IM Roman Dehtiarov lit the stage on fire in Katowice, Poland, after becoming the youngest and lowest-seeded player in history to win the European Individual Chess Championship. The 17-year-old, seeded 126th among 501 players, clinched the title by defeating GM David Anton Guijarro in a thrilling final-round encounter.
Dehtiarov, rated 2452, took sole first place with 9/11 points, half a point ahead of Azerbaijani GMs Nijat Abasov, Aydin Suleymanli, and Mahammad Muradli. He won €20,000 (~$23,500) and earned a spot in the 2027 FIDE World Cup. He is also the first player to win the Continental championship without holding a GM title.
This win also made him a Grandmaster instantly, without needing to earn three GM norms or reach a 2500 rating. India’s Divya Deshmukh also became a GM without the norms or needing to break the rating ceiling after she won the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup.
I met with Roman Dehtiarov, a 17‑year‑old chess player from Kharkiv. He became the first player in history to win the European Championship without holding the grandmaster title.
I honored Roman with the Future of Ukraine award.
We spoke about his path, training, and plans. He… pic.twitter.com/NlZT0dLERC— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 21, 2026
Heading into the final round, five players shared the lead with 8 points from 10 rounds. The five players consisted of Dehtiarov, David Anton Guijarro, Aydin Suleymanli, Mahammad Muradli, and Nijat Abasov (all three from Azerbaijan).
Dehtiarov scored what may be the most important victory in his career, defeating David Anton to claim the title while all his main rivals drew his games. Abasov, Suleymanli, and Muradli tied for second place on 8.5/11, with Abasov taking silver and Suleymanli bronze based on tiebreaks.
This win also means a lot to war-torn Ukraine during these hard times. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the 17-year-old from Kharkiv and presented him with the Future of Ukraine award.
The President wrote on social media: “I met with Roman Dehtiarov, a 17-year-old chess player from Kharkiv. He became the first player in history to win the European Championship without holding the grandmaster title. I honored Roman with the Future of Ukraine award.”
“We spoke about his path, training, and plans. He has been playing chess since the age of five and has already achieved major victories both in Ukraine and internationally. I congratulate him on this important victory and thank him for representing Ukraine on the international stage at such a high level. We are proud of you, Roman, and of all our people. Glory to Ukraine!,” he announced on X.
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