�� Thirteen-year-old Chinese prodigy Pu Xiangzhi on October 23 became the world's youngest Grandmaster ever, the Chinese Chess Association said.

�� Pu, who is 13 years ten months, registered six points from a possible nine in an international tournament here to achieve the last of the three Grandmaster results, which is required by the international chess body FIDE for a Grandmaster rank.

�� The previous world age record was held by Ukraine's Ruslan Ponomariov, who became Grandmaster when he was a little over 14 years.

�� Pu scored two Grandmaster results at a couple of international competitions in Europe in September.

�� Ten chess players from China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Tajikstan, four of them Grandmasters and three Masters, took part in the six- day Qingdao international tournament.

�� Pu, with five wins, two draws and two losses, finished second after the tournament winner Dao Tan Hai of Vietnam, who also scored six points with three wins and six draws.