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

Nine-year-old Aarit Kapil was on the cusp of beating Magnus Carlsen before settling for a draw.

Aarit Kapil, a nine-year-old chess player from New Delhi, India, has achieved a remarkable feat by drawing against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game. The young prodigy, a fifth-standard student at Somerville School in Mayur Vihar, secured the draw during the Early Titled Tuesday competition.

Kapil, who began playing chess just four years ago, 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 an exclusive event for players holding FIDE titles. This competition featured a roster of elite grandmasters, including Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Aarit, a Candidate Master, participated in the online tournament from his hotel room in Batumi, Georgia, where he is currently competing in the FIDE World Cadets Cup in the under-10 category.

This achievement highlights Aarit's growing list of accomplishments. In December, he became the third-youngest player globally to defeat a Grandmaster in classical time control, triumphing over 66-year-old Raset Ziatdinov of the United States.

Aarit's father, Vijay, told the Indian Express that Aarit was introduced to chess by his elder sister Aarna when he was five years old. "In one week, he was beating us," Vijay said. Recognizing his son's potential, they enlisted a coach, and within days, Aarit won an international online tournament.

The young chess player dedicates five to six hours daily to the sport under the guidance of IM Vishal Sareen. Aarit's parents learned of his draw against Carlsen when he excitedly announced, "draw kar diya, Carlsen ko draw kar diya" (drew with Carlsen, drew with Carlsen).

The game format allocated three minutes to each player at the start, with a one-second increment per move. By the 25th move, Aarit held an advantage on the board but 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 when his clock showed just seven seconds. The game concluded in a draw after 49 moves. Despite the draw, Carlsen finished third in the 664-player tournament while on vacation with his wife, Ella.

Vijay shared a lighthearted anecdote, saying, "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, a mutual fund distributor in Delhi, added, "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 and enable him to participate in more international events.

This achievement 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.