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7 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Meet Aarit Kapil, India's nine-year-old chess sensation who nearly defeated Magnus Carlsen
A nine-year-old chess player from India nearly defeated world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in an online game on Tuesday. Here's the story of Aarit Kapil, who hails from Delhi and started playing chess only four years ago. read more Aarit Kapil was in a winning position but time constraint forced him to draw against Magnus Carlsen. Image: Reuters/DD Sports India's nine-year-old Aarit Kapil made headlines on Tuesday after he nearly defeated world No.1 chess player Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game during the Early Titled Tuesday competition on Aarit Kapil, who hails from Delhi, had a much superior position against highest rated chess player of all time, Carlsen, before time constraint forced him to settle for a draw after 49 moves. Aarit Kapil currently holds the title of Candidate Master, which is awarded by FIDE to chess players who have a classical rating of 2200 or have performed well at continental or national events. Aarit Kapil currently has a classical FIDE rating of 2078. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Five-time world champion Carlsen has a classical rating of 2837 and holds the record for the highest rating of all time (2882). Who is Aarit Kapil, who drew against Magnus Carlsen? Aarit Kapil hails from New Delhi's Mayur Vihar and studies at the Somerville School. He started playing chess four years ago and now trains five to six hours daily under the coaching of International Master Vishal Sareen. In 2024, Aarit became the youngest Indian and third youngest in the world to defeat a Grandmaster in a classical Chess match. He achieved this feat by beating Raset Ziatdinov of the USA at the KIIT International Open in Bhubaneswar. Aarit's father, Vijay, who works as a mutual fund distributor in Delhi, told the Indian Express that his son was taught chess by his elder sister and he mastered it in no time. 'He was five years old when his elder sister Aarna taught him chess. In one week, he was beating us. Not like I am a serious player - I am the equivalent of a bathroom singer in the sport: a casual player. But we saw his potential, so we got him working with a coach. And in a few days, he won an international online tournament,' Vijay said. 'Sometimes when he has a bad tournament, we jokingly tell him 'tera chess rukwadenge' (We'll stop your chess). He says, 'jo marzi karlo, chess nahi chhodunga' (Do whatever you can, I won't stop playing chess),' he added. 'Bas chess hi karta hai. Aur kuch nahi karta. (only chess, nothing else).' The most amazing fact about Aarit's draw against Carlsen was that he played the match from a hotel room in Georgia, where he is currently competing in the Under-10 World Chess Championship. The Titled Tuesday tournament is only open to players with FIDE titles, including Grandmaster, International Master, FIDE Master and Candidate Master. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
India Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Delhi's 9-year-old chess prodigy Aarit Kapil comes close to beating Magnus Carlsen
In an extraordinary show of talent and composure, nine-year-old Aarit Kapil from Delhi came within a whisker of defeating reigning world number one Magnus Carlsen in a high-stakes clash during the 'Early Titled Tuesday' tournament held on a major online platform on Wednesday, June from his hotel room in Georgia, where he is currently competing in the Under-10 World Championship, Aarit faced the five-time world champion with poise well beyond his years. For much of the match, the Indian prodigy held the upper hand, even manoeuvring Carlsen into what analysts later called a 'completely lost position.'advertisementWith a rook versus two minor pieces in the final endgame, Aarit had an advantage that could have spelled defeat for one of the greatest players to have ever played the sport. However, with the clock ticking down and only seconds remaining, he was unable to convert the win and had to settle for a well-earned draw. Still, the performance sent shockwaves through the chess world—few players, let alone schoolchildren, have come this close to toppling Carlsen. WHO IS AARIT KAPIL?Aarit Kapil is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about young names in the global chess circuit. Hailing from Delhi, he first made headlines in December 2024 by defeating Grandmaster Raset Ziatdinov at the KIIT International Open in Bhubaneswar. At just nine years, two months, and eighteen days old, Aarit became the youngest Indian ever to beat a GM in classical play, and the third-youngest globally—behind only Singapore's Ashwath Kaushik and Serbia's Leonid for his calm temperament and sharp tactical eye, Aarit capitalised on a late blunder by Ziatdinov in that game to claim a stunning 63-move victory. Since then, he has maintained a peak Elo rating of around 1825 and continues to dominate his age group in both national and international Kapil holds the title of Candidate Master (CM), which he achieved in 2025. This FIDE title typically requires a player to reach a rating of 2200 at some point in their career. It ranks below FIDE Master (FM) and above most national-level titles. While the CM title is usually awarded based on rating, FIDE may also grant it for exceptional performances in international youth events or continental championships, even if the rating threshold has not been vying for a podium finish in the Under-10 World Championship, Aarit has already secured wins in the first two rounds and looks to carry this momentum forward. With upcoming events like the Indian Under-13 and Under-9 championships on the horizon, Aarit is going to make more headlines in the coming days.- Ends
