Chess sensation Noam Sasson, 11, puts Israel on the map with two world medals

It was an exciting moment for 11-and-a-half-year-old Israeli chess prodigy Noam Sasson from Ganei Tikva. He returned home on Friday proudly bearing two remarkable medals from the World Youth Chess Championship held in Rhodes, Greece.

Competing in the 10–12 age group, Sasson secured second place globally in both the rapid and blitz chess formats.

Just one week earlier, the sixth-grade student clinched the title of Israel’s national champion in the under-12 category, further cementing his rising status in the world of chess.

“It was emotional to stand on the podium twice at the world championship with the Israeli flag,” Sasson said.

Gil Sasson, Noam’s father, said his son’s chess journey began at age four, when he joined an after-school club. “It quickly became clear that he was very talented, and by age 7 or 8, he was already competing in tournaments in Israel and abroad,” Sasson said.

According to Ynet News, Lior Eisenberg, director of the “Chess for All” club in Savyon, where Noam trains, said that “no Israeli has ever achieved what Sasson did - securing world runner-up spots in both rapid and blitz chess competitions.”

Recognizing Noam’s remarkable potential, his parents enlisted the help of Grandmaster Arthur Kogan, an Israeli chess coach residing in Spain. Noam trains with him regularly online and travels to Spain twice a year for intensive in-person sessions.

"This is a significant financial investment from our own pocket, with support from the ‘Chess for All’ club and the Israel Chess Federation," Noam’s father explained. "To reach the top levels of adult world chess, which is Noam’s goal, we need a sponsor’s backing."

“I went up to receive my medals with the Israeli flag. I felt like I was representing the country, and it was important to me that people saw our flag and knew that Israel is on the map in chess,” Sasson reflected.