Fausti will once again compete in one of the most traditional events in world chess. He will take part in the Tata Steel Challenger, which will be held from Saturday, January 17 through February 1 in the Dutch city of Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. At just 12 years old, he returns to official competition after a dreamlike 2025 season that ended with an outstanding performance at the World Blitz and Rapid Championship in Qatar. Fausti will be the youngest player and the only South American among the 14 participants seeking promotion to the Masters event of the tournament, known as the “Wimbledon of Chess.” The 2026 edition will feature stars such as Arjun Erigaisi, the top-rated player in the field, reigning World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh, and 14-year-old Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. In his category, Fausti enters as the 10th seed with a 2495 Elo rating in a field led by local GM Erwin l’Ami, the only player ranked inside the FIDE Top 100, along with experienced Ukrainian GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, who is 44 years older than the Argentine player. Previously, Fausti competed in the Tata Steel Challengers 2025 and finished with 3.5 points, scoring 3 wins, 9 losses, and 1 draw. On that occasion, he lost all 8 games he played against Grandmasters. This time, he will face 13 rounds and play against seven 2600-rated players in the classical chess format, meaning long time controls with several hours per game and one round per day, including three rest days — very different from the blitz and rapid world championship held last December in Doha.