Latest news with #Under-10WorldChampionship
News18
15 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Nine-Year-Old Aarit Kapil Holds Magnus Carlsen In 'Early Titled Tuesday' Online Event
Last Updated: Kapil pulled off a draw against Carlsen at the online event after the Norwegian managed to find his way back into the game after the Indian established an advantage. Aarit Kapil, the 9-year-old Indian chess prodigy, managed to play out a draw with top-rated Magnus Carlsen at the 'Early Titled Tuesday' chess tournament on Wednesday. Kapil pulled off a draw against Carlsen at the online event after the Norwegian managed to find his way back into the game after the Indian established an advantage. With time running out and only a few seconds left on his clock, the young Indian couldn't convert his advantage and eventually settled for a draw in a rook versus two minor pieces endgame. Aarit played this event from Georgia, where he is currently competing for a podium finish in the Under-10 World Championship. Aarit has secured 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. American GM Hans Moke Niemann and Carlsen both finished with 9.5 points, but Niemann secured second place on tiebreak. The 34-year-old Carlsen became the first player to cross the milestone in the recently released freestyle chess rankings compiled by the Freestyle Chess Organisation. Carlsen sits atop the table with a rating of 2909, followed by American GM Hikaru Nakamura at 2818. Fabiano Caruana stands third with 2804, while Indian GM Praggnanandhaa is fourth with 2773. Ian Nepomniachtchi comes in fifth, followed by Vincent Keymer and Alireza Firouzja, with India's Arjun Erigaisi positioned eighth with 2758. Vidit Gujarati is placed 16th, while compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram stands 22nd with 2707, and reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju is 26th with a rating of 2701. Carlsen clinched the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam title in Paris earlier in the year, and solidified his run with a historic win at the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2025, where the Norwegian claimed nine wins out of as many matches, six of which were against Grandmasters.
India Today
19 hours ago
- 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
