Tā shíjǐ suì jiù zài quánguó bǐsài zhōng chūlù-tóujiǎo, hòulái chéng le zhùmíng qíshǒu.
He first made his mark in a national tournament in his teens and later became a famous chess player.
Tips
usage
初露头角 stresses the first appearance: a newcomer is just being noticed. 崭露头角 stresses standing out from everyone else. Both picture a young animal's horns (头角) first showing.
mistakes
露 is read lù here, its literary reading, not the colloquial lòu of 露面.