Daniel Dardha
Daniel Dardha | |
|---|---|
 Dardha in 2023 | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Born | 1 October 2005 Mortsel, Belgium |
| Title | Grandmaster (2021) |
| FIDE rating | 2646 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2665 (March 2025) |
| Ranking | No. 80 (June 2025) |
| Peak ranking | No. 58 (March 2025) |
Daniel Dardha (born 1 October 2005) is a Belgian chess grandmaster. He won the Belgian Chess Championship in 2019 at age 13, becoming the youngest player to do so.[1]
Chess career
[edit]In 2017, aged 12, he won the U-14 Blitz Chess Championship.[2] He earned his International Master title in 2019, shortly after winning the Belgian Chess Championship.[1] He earned his Grandmaster title in 2021 after winning the Belgian Chess Championship for the second time, becoming Belgium's youngest ever Grandmaster at age 15.[3]
He won the Belgian Chess Championship for the third time in 2022.[4]
He did not defend his title in 2023, playing instead in the 2023 Chess World Cup. He defeated Goh Wei Ming in the first round, but was defeated by Vincent Keymer in the second round.
He won the Belgian Chess Championship for the fourth time in 2024.[5][6]
Personal life
[edit]Dardha was born on 1 October 2005 in Mortsel, Belgium.[7] His father, Arben Dardha, who became U-20 Albanian Champion at age 16, is a FIDE Master and, as of 2019, Daniel's coach. (Daniel is also intermittently coached by Ivan Sokolov.) Dardha's grandfather, Bardhyl Dardha, coached the Tomori chess club in Berat, Albania, as well as his son. At age 82, he was still active in online chess.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Daniel Dardha, a Belgian champion at 13!". Chess News. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "Daniel Dardha Wereldkampioen Snelschaken bij -14 jarige - Schaakkring Deurne-Zuid". www.schaakkringdeurne-zuid.net. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Times, The Brussels. "15-year-old is youngest Belgian Grandmaster in chess world". www.brusselstimes.com. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Sergio (20 August 2022). "Daniel Dardha wins the Belgian Chess Championship, crosses 2600 ELO – Chessdom". www.chessdom.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ Echecs, Europe (8 September 2023). "Championnat de Belgique 2023 - Premier titre de Champion de Belgique pour Lennert Lenaerts !". www.europe-echecs.com (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Echecs, Europe (15 July 2024). "Championnat de Belgique 2024 - 4e titre de champion de Belgique pour Daniel Dardha !". www.europe-echecs.com (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "FIDE Title Application (IM)" (PDF).
External links
[edit]- Daniel Dardha rating card at FIDE
- Daniel Dardha player profile and games at Chessgames.com