Aaron Mendes - Young Chess Prodigies

In this edition of ChessKid Spotlight, we shine a light on Canada's history-making youngest International Master: IM Aaron Mendes!

Learn All About Aaron:

Who is Aaron Mendes?

The twelve-year-old Canadian chess prodigy and International Master got his start playing chess at the age of five. At age nine, he competed at the FIDE World School Chess Championship 2022 in Panama, winning gold.

At eleven, he competed in the 2023 ChessKid Youth Speed Chess Championship and placed first with a score of 9.5-5.5. He also reached FIDE Master in 2023, one of the youngest in the world to do so!

Just last year, Aaron competed and won gold at the 2024 North American Youth Chess Championship. Based on his stellar performance in this event, he was awarded the IM title, becoming the youngest Canadian IM!

Aaron with his NAYCC trophy!

 

Aaron credits Chessable, his coaches, and the Chess Federation of Canada for their support in reaching his chess goals. He also cites GM Viswanathan Anand and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave as his favorite players and an inspiration for his constant improvement and love for the game.

Aaron Says…

"I am really happy to become an IM! Becoming an International Master was my big goal for 2024, and I worked hard to make it happen. Reaching it feels amazing, and I am so proud of how far I’ve come.

My next goal is to become a Grandmaster. In 2025, I want to get two GM norms, and I hope to earn the GM title by 2026. It’s a big challenge, but I am excited to try it." 

 

Congratulations to Aaron on reaching IM!

Best Games

Check out Aaron's most recent tournament wins to achieve IM and a hand-picked favorite. Aaron says: "In NAYCC 2024, my favourite game was against Das Aditeya in Round 5. This was my best game because it was full of action. I used a cool move, 10. Bxf6, to mess up Black’s pawns and 22. g5 to attack. I finished the game with smart moves and won. It felt awesome!"
 
 

FunMasterMike Says…

"I was so excited when Aaron won the 2023 ChessKid Youth Speed Chess Championship. I am hoping this helps inspire more Canadians and puts that country back on the map at the world stage. It is time for our brothers to the north to show what they can do and Aaron is their future!"

  

Wishing Aaron the best of luck in his upcoming tournaments. We're confident you'll keep making history with your moves!