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

A nine-year-old chess player from New Delhi, Aarit Kapil, achieved a remarkable feat by drawing against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game.

Aarit Kapil almost defeated Magnus Carlsen.

Kapil, a fifth-grade student from Somerville School in Mayur Vihar, has been playing chess for only four years. During the Early Titled Tuesday competition, he held a winning position against the five-time world champion. However, time constraints forced a draw on the 49th move.

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

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

What impresses you most about Aarit Kapil’s chess achievement? Drawing with World No.1 Magnus Carlsen or Achieving this at just 9 years old?

According to Aarit's father, Vijay, Aarit's chess journey began when his elder sister Aarna taught him the game at age five. "In one week, he was beating us. 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 told the Indian Express.

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

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

Aarit maintained a winning position until the 46th move, with only seven seconds left on his clock. The game ended in a draw after 49 moves. Despite the draw, Carlsen finished third in the 664-player tournament, even while 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)."

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

This performance follows a recent trend of young Indian players challenging Carlsen. Weeks earlier, 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju defeated the Norwegian champion at the Norway Chess tournament.