Brilliant moves in chess and early grandmaster success: a study of the world's youngest grandmasters

Background and Study Aim. Young chess prodigies often demonstrate exceptional tactical creativity through “brilliant” moves. This study examines the formation and impact of the skill to execute brilliant moves in the careers of the 20 youngest grandmasters in chess history. This study raises an intriguing question: could the propensity to find brilliant moves be linked to a player’s success, especially for young prodigies achieving the grandmaster title at an early age? Material and Methods. We analyzed 8032 games played by the 20 youngest players in history to attain the title of Grandmaster (GM) title, identifying 1217 games containing at least one brilliant move (as marked by chess engine analysis). Results. The proportion of games with brilliant moves ranged from about 9.8% to 22.7% (mean ≈15.4%) for individual players. These results suggest an optimal zone of roughly 10–23% of games featuring brilliant moves during a young player’s pre-GM development. We found that a higher frequency of brilliant moves correlates with faster achievement of the GM title – players who became GM in fewer years tended to have a greater share of brilliant-move games. A multiple regression analysis further showed that this skill, along with the strength of opposition faced, significantly predicts a player’s world ranking after attaining GM (p < .05). Conclusion. The ability to consistently execute brilliant moves is strongly associated with early success in chess and may be a useful predictor of a young player’s prospects of becoming a grandmaster. These findings underscore the importance of cultivating creativity and deep tactical foresight (hallmarks of brilliant moves) in chess training for rising talents.