Latest news with #AaritKapil
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Chess prodigies: The world's youngest chess phenoms of 2025
Image: In the ever-evolving world of chess, 2025 has become a standout year for prodigious talent. From kids barely into their teens to teenage grandmasters rewriting records, a new generation is reshaping how we think about intelligence, strategy, and global competition. These ten players are not just future stars they are already making headlines today. Aarit Kapil – Drawing Magnus Carlsen at age 9 Perhaps the most viral moment of early 2025 came when Aarit Kapil, a 9-year-old from Delhi, held world number one Magnus Carlsen to a draw in an online blitz game and was even winning at one point. The young player's confidence, speed, and positional control shocked viewers and signaled the rise of another Indian chess phenomenon. Faustino Oro – The 'Messi of chess' Hailing from Argentina and now based in Spain, Faustino Oro became an International Master at just 10 years and 8 months, the youngest in history at that time. Known for his exceptional intuition and calm under pressure, Oro has even beaten Magnus Carlsen in a bullet match. His online presence and consistent tournament wins have made him one of the most followed young players globally. Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus – Youngest Grandmaster in 2025 At only 13 years and 4 months, Türkiye's Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus crossed the 2600 Elo mark and earned his GM title. His games show a rare maturity, blending classical positional understanding with the courage to play sharp, aggressive lines. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Adidas Three Shorts With 60% Discount, Limited Stock Available Original Adidas Shop Now Undo Erdogmus has quickly become a top contender in under-16 international events. Ethan Pang – Breaking rating records at 9 Born in the UK, Ethan Pang stunned the chess world by surpassing a 2300 rating before turning 10, breaking records previously held by Oro. Ethan's opening preparation and rapid calculation make him a dangerous opponent even for titled players. Analysts predict he may reach the IM title in record time. Roman Shogdzhiev – Grandmaster slayer at 8 In one of the most talked-about performances of 2024, Russian youngster Roman Shogdzhiev defeated five grandmasters during the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, all at just 8 years old. His fearlessness and ability to outplay experienced professionals under time pressure make him a unique talent. Luca Protopopescu – France's youngest hope At just 9 years and 5 days old, Luca Protopopescu crossed the 2200 rating threshold, making him the youngest to do so in chess history. Known for his solid positional play and strategic endgames, Luca has already won the U-10 French national title and is now gaining international experience in top youth events. Xue Haowen – China's next elite grandmaster China's Xue Haowen earned his GM title in 2025 with a rating above 2500, making headlines with his consistent performance in European circuits. He won the Hastings Masters and several Asian youth championships, positioning himself as China's leading teenager on the global stage. Aaron Reeve Mendes – Canada's international master Aaron Mendes became Canada's youngest International Master in 2025 after a string of dominant performances at the U-18 level. With a solid peak rating, consistent results, and a calm, methodical style of play, he is now entering major international tournaments and gaining global recognition. Ethan Vaz – Goa's youngest International Master From India, Ethan Vaz became the world's youngest IM at just 12. With a peak rating of 2441 in 2025, he continues to grow as a serious contender in the junior circuit. His deep theoretical knowledge and tactical precision have brought him multiple youth championship medals. A global reshaping of chess talent What stands out in 2025 is not just the brilliance of individual prodigies but the global spread of talent. As they continue to mature and compete, these prodigies are expected to shape the elite landscape of chess for years to come. Whether you follow classical, rapid, or online blitz formats, these names are already worth knowing and watching closely.
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".
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First Post
26-06-2025
- 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
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Who Is Aarit Kapil? 9-year-old from Delhi who nearly defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, holds him to draw in online chess game
Aarit Kapil, a nine-year-old from New Delhi's Mayur Vihar, makes history by securing a draw against the world's number one chess player, Magnus Carlsen. The remarkable feat was made during an online blitz game event called the 'Early Title Tuesday' competition. Indian chess has been seeing exponential growth, with three GMs within the top category of the current live rankings. First, Arjun Erigaisi is the current world No. 4, followed by reigning world champion D Gukesh in the fifth position and R Praggnanandhaa in the seventh position, and now it seems the nine-year-old is making history. Kapil successfully put the Norwegian in a tight situation in their blitz clash and was in a winning position at one point, but surprisingly, with only a few seconds left on his clock, the chess prodigy was unsuccessful in converting his advantage, and the game came to a draw. Credit: X | @ChessbaseIndia Who is Aarit Kapil? Aarit Kapil, a nine-year-old chess player and a fifth-standard student from Somerville School, started playing chess just four years ago. According to ToI, the young chess player dedicates about five to six hours daily to the sport under the guidance if IM Vishal Sareen. He revealed his major achievement to his parents when he rushed into the room announcing, 'Draw kar diya, Carlsen ko draw kar diya.' (He forced a draw; he drew with Carlsen!) The achievement adds to Aart's growing list of accomplishments, including becoming the third-youngest player in the world to defeat a grandmaster in a tight time control game when he achieved the victory against 66-year-old Raset Ziatdinov of the United States in December last year. Aarit participated in the U-10 World chess Aarit was reportedly playing the game from a hotel room in Georgia, where he participated in the U-10 World Chess Championship. The 9-year-old won both games in the first two rounds of the tournament. Congratulations to 9-year-old Aarit Kapil from Delhi for his stunning performance against chess legend Magnus Carlsen, holding him to a draw in an online blitz game. India's chess future looks incredibly bright. Wishing him great success ahead. — Kartik Sharma (@Kartiksharmamp) June 26, 2025 Recently, when asked about a possible successor, Carlsen broke his silence, saying plainly that there isn't anyone right now. That's the truth. Someone might emerge, but for now, it seems unlikely. He also spoke about Gukesh and remarked, 'I think Gukesh showed in this tournament that he is on track; he is doing fantastic, but he's maybe not way ahead of track as we may have thought.' Passing his verdict on Gukesh, he remarked, 'I think Gukesh showed in this tournament that he is on track; he is doing fantastic, but he's maybe not way ahead of track as we may have thought.'
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.
