14-year-old South African Caleb Levitan crowned International Master of Chess
During the 18 rounds he played in the Kup Vojvodine 2025 Finale held in Serbia over the last month, Levitan tasted victory!
Picture: Pexeks
CapeTalk's Pippa Hudson speaks to Caleb Levitan, International Master (IM) of Chess.
Listen below:
Meet: Caleb Levitan, a 14-year-old South African who has been crowned an International Master (IM) of chess.
During 18 rounds in the Kup Vojvodine 2025 Finale held in Serbia over the last month, he tasted victory.
Levitan's dad introduced him and his twin brother to chess at six years old.
Levitan says he enjoys playing the game for its infinite possibilities.
"The amount of possibilities in chess is close to infinity... it's nice to give your mind a huge challenge and it's nice to look at different patterns and observe different positions."
- Caleb Levitan, International Master (IM) of Chess
The International Master title is awarded by FIDE, the global chess federation. It is awarded to chess players who demonstrate sustained excellence at a high level and are just one step below the Grandmaster title, AKA the black belt of the chess world.
To earn an IM title, a player needs to have achieved three ‘IM norms’; tournament performances that meet strict international standards and reach a FIDE rating of 2 400 or higher at any point. This way, FIDE can ensure that the title reflects not only peak achievement but also consistent competitive strength.
At the beginning of the Kup Vojvodine 2025 Finale, Caleb had a rating of 2 327, and he exceeded 2 400 during the tournament.
Caleb is the youngest South African to cross a 2 400 rating in a live tournament.
Caleb’s next big goal is to become a Grandmaster.
The only other South African to hold this title is Kenny Solomon, who took this title when he was 35 years old in 2014.
To become a Grandmaster, a player has to obtain three Grandmaster norms, proving a high degree of chess proficiency and reaching a minimum FIDE rating of 2 500.
Alternatively, you can challenge and beat Grandmasters with a 2 600 or higher rating.
Good luck, Levitan!
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.