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

Aarit Kapil, a nine-year-old chess player from New Delhi, has achieved a remarkable feat by drawing against world number one Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game. The young chess player from Mayur Vihar, New Delhi, secured the draw during the Early Titled Tuesday competition.

Aarit Kapil on the cusp of victory against Magnus Carlsen.

Kapil, a fifth-grade student at Somerville School, has only been playing chess for four years. He managed to hold a winning position against the five-time world champion. However, with time running out, the game ended in a draw on the 49th move.

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

This accomplishment adds to Aarit's growing list of achievements. In December, he became the third-youngest player worldwide to defeat a Grandmaster in classical time control after winning against 66-year-old Raset Ziatdinov of the United States.

Aarit's father, Vijay, told the Indian Express that Aarit's older sister, Aarna, introduced him to chess when he was five years old. "In one week, he was beating us," Vijay said. "We saw his potential, so we got him working with a coach. And in a few days, he won an international online tournament."

Under the guidance of IM Vishal Sareen, the young prodigy dedicates five to six hours each day 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 with Carlsen).

In the game format, each player started with three minutes, with a one-second increment per move. By the 25th move, Aarit had an advantage on the board but was under time pressure with only 31 seconds remaining, compared to Carlsen's one minute and 25 seconds.

Aarit maintained a winning position until the 46th move, when he had 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, who works as a mutual fund distributor in Delhi, shared, "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 family is seeking sponsors to support Aarit's chess career and enable him to participate in more international events.

This achievement follows a recent trend of young Indian players challenging Carlsen. It comes just weeks after 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju defeated the Norwegian champion at the Norway Chess tournament.