{{Short description|Belgian chess grandmaster (born 2005)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox chess biography | name = Daniel Dardha | image = DanielDardha23a.jpg | caption = Dardha in 2023 | full_name = | country = Belgium | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2005|10|01|df=y}} | birth_place = Mortsel, Belgium | death_date = | death_place = | title = Grandmaster (2021) | peakranking = No. 58 (March 2025) | peakrating = 2665 (March 2025) | FideID = 240990 }}
'''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.<ref name='cb_belgian_champion'>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-31 |title=Daniel Dardha, a Belgian champion at 13! |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/daniel-dardha-belgian-champion-at-13 |access-date=2022-01-15 |website=Chess News |language=en}}</ref>
==Chess career== In 2017, aged 12, he won the U-14 Blitz Chess Championship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daniel Dardha Wereldkampioen Snelschaken bij -14 jarige - Schaakkring Deurne-Zuid |url=https://www.schaakkringdeurne-zuid.net/daniel-dardha-wereldkampioen-snelschaken-bij-14-jarige/ |access-date=2022-01-15 |website=www.schaakkringdeurne-zuid.net}}</ref> He earned his International Master title in 2019, shortly after winning the Belgian Chess Championship.<ref name='cb_belgian_champion' /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Times |first=The Brussels |title=15-year-old is youngest Belgian Grandmaster in chess world |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-all-news/183541/15-year-old-is-youngest-belgian-grandmaster-ever-in-chess-world |access-date=2022-01-15 |website=www.brusselstimes.com |language=en}}</ref>
He won the Belgian Chess Championship for the third time in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sergio |title=Daniel Dardha wins the Belgian Chess Championship, crosses 2600 ELO – Chessdom |url=https://www.chessdom.com/daniel-dardha-wins-the-belgian-chess-championship-crosses-2600-elo/ |access-date=2022-08-20 |website=www.chessdom.com |date=20 August 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Echecs |first=Europe |date=2023-09-08 |title=Championnat de Belgique 2023 - Premier titre de Champion de Belgique pour Lennert Lenaerts ! |url=https://www.europe-echecs.com/art/championnat-de-belgique-2023-9096.html |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=www.europe-echecs.com |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Echecs |first=Europe |date=2024-07-15 |title=Championnat de Belgique 2024 - 4e titre de champion de Belgique pour Daniel Dardha ! |url=https://www.europe-echecs.com/art/championnat-de-belgique-2024-9288.html |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=www.europe-echecs.com |language=fr}}</ref>
==Personal life== Dardha was born on 1 October 2005 in Mortsel, Belgium.<ref name="FIDEIM">{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/crt/main227889.pdf|title=FIDE Title Application (IM)}}</ref> 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.<ref name='cb_belgian_champion' />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{fide|id=240990}} *{{chessgames player|id=153978}}
{{Belgian GMs}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dardha, Daniel}} Category:2005 births Category:Living people Category:Belgian chess players Category:Belgian people of Albanian descent Category:Chess Grandmasters Category:Chess Olympiad competitors Category:People from Mortsel Category:21st-century chess players