Latest news with #Aarit
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Magnus Carlsen ko draw kar diya!': Meet the 9-year-old chess prodigy from Delhi who held his own against a Grandmaster
On the morning of June 24, sitting in a hotel room in Batumi, Georgia, Aarit Kapil made a decision that would have people talking for weeks to come. The nine-year-old was in the country to compete in the prestigious FIDE World Cadets Cup, battling it out in the under-10 category. At 8 am that day, on a whim, he decided to log into and play their well-known Titled Tuesday online blitz event. Organised twice every Tuesday, this tournament is only open to players with FIDE titles (like Grandmaster (GM), International Master, Candidate Master, etc.) This particular Early Titled Tuesday had elite GMs like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik — and Magnus Carlsen — competing in it. Aarit's parents were on a phone call when he rushed out shouting, 'Draw kar diya, Magnus ko draw kar diya! (I got Magnus to draw)'. It took his parents a few seconds to process his words before they erupted in celebration. For them, Aarit's near success against the formidable chess grandmaster was almost natural. In December last year, Aarit defeated Grandmaster Raset Ziatdinov. In February this year, he had gathered enough points to become a Candidate Master. 'He doesn't get nervous when facing big players. He gets really excited,' said Nisha Kapil, his mother, who often accompanies him to his tournaments. Aarit, with his round Harry Potter-like glasses, smiled shyly beside her. 'All I think about is that I need to beat them… I always keep looking out for mistakes they can make,' he said softly, almost under his breath. It was four years ago that Aarit's parents noticed his prodigious talent for the game. 'I'm a casual player and used to often play online,' said Vijay Kapil, the boy's father. 'He had come to me and asked what I was doing, and I taught him. Within a week, he was beating me at the game,' he said. At first, his parents believed it to be a fluke and tried testing his abilities. 'We would feel bad that he's beaten us,' laughed Nisha, adding, 'So we'd make the game tougher for him. We'd take away a few pieces, randomly reduce his points… and he still kept beating us at it. I think that's when we realised that he has a true talent for the game.' Aarit was put into coaching with International Master (IM) Vishal Sareen. Within a week, his father said, Aarit had won an international tournament with a Rs 15,000 cash prize. 'I was shocked. I mean, he was only five years old,' Vijay said, laughing as if he still couldn't believe it. Over the years, Aarit's rise has been meteoric. His coaches, too, believe that the young boy prodigy has the makings of a future Grandmaster. Yet, Aarit has suffered his fair share of losses, too. In the 37th National Under-9 Open in 2024, Aarit went up against Nidhish Shyamal — a boy who had, similar to Aarit, started playing chess at the age of five and was a formidable opponent by the time he was nine years old. In the final, Shyamal was trailing Aarit by half a point. Aarit, confident of pocketing the match, decided to play fast and loose with his moves. 'I had defeated Nidhish in the rounds before, so I thought it would be an easy match. But I didn't know that he had a walkover in one of the previous rounds and had a better tie-break score than me,' said Aarit. In his self-confessed hubris, Aarit stretched the match longer, perhaps relishing his opponent's squirming. Yet at the worst possible moment, towards the end, Aarit made a mistake and Nidhish lunged at the opportunity. While both scored a 9.5 out of 11, Nidhish's better tie-break score pushed him over the victory line. 'I was angry with myself,' confessed Aarit. Yet, he didn't let himself wallow in his defeat. 'I came back and kept practicing,' he said quietly. His parents, too, are careful not to let him feel too much of the pressure. 'Half the battle is won when he is confident,' said Nisha. 'We are optimistic that if he doesn't get the gold in one tournament, he'll win a bigger one next time. Besides, it's like mutual funds. If you want to create wealth, you must see volatility. Jo game mein tika rehta hai, wo hi aage badhta hai (Those who stick with the game are the ones who move forward),' said Vijay. However, Aarit's flourishing career has taken a financial toll on the family. The husband and wife duo runs a mutual fund-distributing business. They rent a modest two-bedroom apartment in Mayur Vihar and have little to no sponsors funding their child's dreams. Except for a Rs 25,000 grant each month from the All India Chess Federation for the last three months, the family has little help to fund Aarit's tournaments abroad. 'It's easier to get sponsors in the Southern states or Maharashtra, but there is no culture around chess in the North. It's been difficult to single-handedly fund my son's dreams,' said Vijay. But the father is determined to help Aarit realise his dreams, no matter what. 'When I was young, my father didn't have a lot of money to fund his children's extra-curricular activities. It made me decide then that when I grow up, my children will want for nothing,' he said.
United News of India
05-07-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
I was in a strong position, but ran out of time: Nine-yr-old Aarit who held Carlsen to a draw
New Delhi, July 5 (UNI) Nine-year-old Aarit Kapil who recently held legendary Magnus Carlsen to a draw says that he was in a strong position in the match but ran out of time, hence it ended in a draw. Aarit held Carlsen to a draw in an online blitz game at the 'Early Titled Tuesday' chess tournament on June 24. Speaking to UNI in an exclusive interview today, after his return from Georgia yesterday, Aarit said that he was thrilled to play against the Norwegian whom he considers his idol. 'His level was very obviously higher than any opponent that I have faced till date. It was without any doubt the toughest match I have ever played. As the match progressed during the mid-game his position weakened. I got into a strong position, but as there was time pressure it ended in a draw,' said Aarit. The Class 5 student however said that he felt no pressure in facing the reigning World number 1 in the Rapid and Blitz formats. Aarit, who is also the youngest Indian and third youngest in the world to have defeated a Grand Master, said that Blitz is his favourite format. He also expressed his desire to play D Gukesh, the current World Number 1, in the Classical format. 'I want to play against Gukesh. I like his style,' he said. Aarit said that he wishes to improve his middle and end game. "I can improve in the middle and end game. My coach Vishal sir (International Master Vishal Sareen) advises me to pay most attention to the middle and end game. There are a lot of openings that the opponent can deploy, but if one's middle game is strong he can recover. If the middle game is strong then you can tackle any opening.' Apart from Magnus, Aarit admires late Soviet great Mikhail Tal. 'I like him (Tal) a lot, I study him in depth. I like the way he made sacrifices in a strategic manner, 'the 'magician'. His game was so exciting and intriguing.' His mother Nisha explained about Aarit's initiation into Chess. 'When he was five, he saw his father play on the laptop and got interested. I gifted him a Chess board, and his sister Aarna taught him to play. Soon he started playing online Blitz tournaments and winning them easily. So we started his coaching. And he has excelled,' she added. Aarit's father Vijay hopes that Aarit gets a sponsor soon as Chess is an expensive sport. 'Going abroad for tournaments needs a lot of money, yet those tournaments are important in terms of his learning and world ranking. So I am looking for a sponsor for him right now," Vijay added. His mother Nisha says that Chess has become an obsession with Aarit. "We try to get him involved in outdoor sports. But he is always thinking about chess. It is an obsession with him." Aarit studies in Somerville School, Vasundhara Enclave, Delhi. Social sciences and Mathematics are his favourite subjects. UNI RKM RN
United News of India
30-06-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Aarit talented enough to become another Gukesh: Coach Sareen
New Delhi, June 29 (UNI) Nine-year-old Chess boy wonder Aarit Kapil, who recently held the legendary Magnus Carlsen to a draw in an online tournament, has the potential to reach the top in the game, says International Master (IM) Vishal Sareen. Aarit held Carlsen to a draw in an online blitz game at the 'Early Titled Tuesday' chess tournament on June 24. Besides holding the Norwegian great to a draw, Aarit is the youngest Indian and third youngest in the world to have defeated a Grand Master when he overcame veteran GM Raset Ziatdinov in the 15th KIIT International Chess Festival in Bhubaneswar in December 2024. The Delhi resident also won a silver at the Under 9 Chess nationals, a silver medal in both classical and rapid categories at the Under 8 Asian championships besides several other exploits at such a young age. Aarit's coach International Master (IM) Vishal Sareen describes him as the Sachin Tendulkar of Chess and says that he has the potential to reach the heights of D Gukesh, the reigning World Champion in the Classical format and R Praggnanandhaa, India's current number one player. "Aarit is the Sachin of Chess, the pace at which he picks up things is amazing, I think that going forward there will be no flaws in his game, he is just nine and is meant for very big things. He actually was in a very strong position against Carlsen. He was not overexcited after the match, and said that he wil beat him the next time, of course next time Magnus will be sharper and won't take him lightly, he can reach the level of Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa." Sareen points out that Chess is an expensive sport and without proper international exposure Aarit runs the risk of not reaching his full potential "I hope he gets a sponsor soon as Chess is an expensive sport, training modules, coaching all have high cost and for reaching one's full potential the player needs to compete at international events, so financial support is going to be crucial for him at the moment, which I hope he gets soon." Aarit's father Vijay who works as a Mutual Funds agent says that he has tried to support Aarit as much as possible but going forward it will be very difficult to sustain his training and participation in competitions without a sponsor. "Going abroad for tournaments needs a lot of money yet those tournaments are important in terms of his learning and world ranking is concerned, so I am looking for a sponsor for him right now." Vijay recounts Aarit's meteoric rise in Chess "He was five and a half when he started Chess, his elder sister Aarna taught him, after just one week of learning Chess he defeated me! I recognised that he had great potential we started his coaching. "Soon within a few weeks he registered for an online tournament which he won, he played a few online tournaments after that where he won, later he started winning offline tournaments and state level tournaments as well. He was second in the Under 7 nationals and went on to win Silver medal in both classical and rapid categories at the Under 8 Asian championships," he said. A Class V student of Somerville School, Vasundhara Enclave, Aarit idolises Magnus Carlsen, says Vijay. 'He idolises him (Magnus) and was thrilled to face him, though he was not overawed by the situation, he was in a winning position against him but it ended in a draw." Deputy President of Asian Chess Federation Bharat Singh Chauhan was all praise for Aarit, calling him a resolute fighter, "Aarit is tactically very good and the thing that sets him apart is that he is a fighter who thinks about winning irrespective of the situation, his success again proves that we have very good junior players who are capable of beating anyone in the world," UNI RKM SSP
NDTV
27-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
9-Year-Old Indian Prodigy, Dubbed 'Sachin Tendulkar Of Chess', Pleads For Financial Support
"He's just 9 years old, and the way he dominated Magnus Carlsen, I truly believe Aarit Kapil is the Sachin Tendulkar of chess." These were the words of International Master Vishal Sareen, the coach of nine-year-old Indian chess prodigy Aarit Kapil. In a recent match against Magnus Carlsen in the Early Titled Tuesday competition, Aarit had a winning position until the 46th movem but had to settle for a draw due to time constraints. Despite this, his performance has made him a hero among chess experts worldwide. "Aarit plays fearless chess like Magnus Carlsen and other top players, and he calculates moves quickly like Fausto Oro," says Vishal Sareen, proud of his student's skills. Here are a list of Aarit Kapil's achievements so far: 1. Draw against Magnus Carlsen: Aarit Kapil drew a match against the world chess champion in an online blitz game. 2. Youngest Indian Grandmaster defeater: He became the third-youngest player globally to defeat a grandmaster in classical time control at just 9 years old. 3. Under-10 World Cup contender: Aarit is currently participating in the Under-10 World Chess Championship in Georgia, where he has won three out of four matches. Aarit's background: However, Aarit's father is looking for sponsors to support his son's chess career, as becoming a grandmaster requires significant financial investment. Aarit started playing chess at the age of 5, taught by his elder sister. Within a week, he began beating his parents, and soon his potential was recognized. He started training with a coach and won an international online tournament within a few days. Aarit's parents, Vijay and Nisha Kapil, work as mutual fund distributors and are currently seeking sponsors to support their son's chess ambitions. According to Aarit Kapil's coach, Vishal Sareen, Aarit has immense potential in chess, drawing comparisons to legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Vishal Sareen says, "I give him training with International Master-level difficulties, but he surprises me every time. I think he's born for chess." But he also adds, "However, he needs a lot of support. You'll soon see him becoming a Grandmaster".
Hans India
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
9-yr-old Indian prodigy holds Carlsen to a draw
New Delhi: Nine-year-old Aarit Kapil from Delhi came close to defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen before settling for a draw in the 'Early Titled Tuesday' chess tournament held on a leading online platform. Aarit, the runner-up at the recent Under-9 National Championship, matched the five-time world champion move for move and had Carlsen in a completely lost position. But with time running out and only a few seconds left on his clock, the young Indian was unable to convert his advantage and eventually forced a draw in a rook versus two minor pieces endgame. Aarit played this event from his hotel in Georgia where he is currently battling for a podium finish in the under-10 World championship. Aarit has scored victories in the first two rounds and will play his third game on Wednesday. Meanwhile, India's V Pranav clinched the 'Early Titled Tuesday' title with an impressive 10 out of 11 points.
