Delhi Prodigy, 9, Holds Chess King Magnus Carlsen to Draw in Online Blitz Match

A nine-year-old chess player from New Delhi, Aarit Kapil, has achieved a remarkable feat by drawing against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game. This exciting match took place during the Early Titled Tuesday competition.

Nine-year-old Aarit Kapil nearly defeated Magnus Carlsen before the game ended in a draw.

Aarit Kapil, a fifth-grade student at Somerville School, has been playing chess for only four years. He held a winning position against the five-time world champion. However, due to time constraints, the game concluded in a draw on the 49th move.

The Titled Tuesday tournament is an exclusive event for players holding FIDE titles. It attracts elite grandmasters like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Aarit, a Candidate Master, participated from his hotel room in Batumi, Georgia. He is currently competing in the FIDE World Cadets Cup in the under-10 category.

This draw adds to Aarit's growing list of achievements. Last December, he became the third-youngest player in the world to defeat a Grandmaster in classical time control. He won against 66-year-old Raset Ziatdinov of the United States.

Aarit's father, Vijay, told Indian Express that Aarit's older sister, Aarna, taught him chess when he was five years old. "In one week, he was beating us," Vijay said. Recognizing his potential, they arranged for him to work with a coach. Soon after, he won an international online tournament.

Under the guidance of IM Vishal Sareen, the young chess prodigy dedicates five to six hours daily to chess. His parents learned of his draw against Carlsen when he excitedly announced, "draw kar diya, Carlsen ko draw kar diya" (I drew, I drew Carlsen).

The game format gave each player three minutes at the start, with a one-second increment per move. By the 25th move, Aarit had a clear advantage. Yet, he faced time pressure with only 31 seconds remaining compared to Carlsen's one minute and 25 seconds.

Aarit maintained a winning position until move 46, with only seven seconds left on his clock. The game ended in a draw after 49 moves. Carlsen finished third in the 664-player tournament, despite being on vacation with his wife Ella.

Vijay shared a lighthearted anecdote, "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)."

Vijay, who works as a mutual fund distributor in Delhi, also noted, "Bas chess hi karta hai. Aur kuch nahi karta. (only chess, nothing else)." The family is currently seeking sponsors to support Aarit's chess career. Their goal is to enable him to participate in more international events.

This achievement comes shortly after 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Carlsen at the Norway Chess tournament, highlighting a growing trend of young Indian players challenging the chess champion.