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

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, achieved a stunning draw against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game. The young talent, a fifth-grade student at Somerville School in Mayur Vihar, has only been playing chess for four years. He maintained a winning position against the five-time world champion before time constraints forced a draw on the 49th move.

The Titled Tuesday tournament, an exclusive event for players holding FIDE titles, saw participation from elite grandmasters like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Aarit, a Candidate Master, competed in the online tournament from his hotel room in Batumi, Georgia, where he is participating in the FIDE World Cadets Cup in the under-10 category.

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

According to Aarit's father, Vijay, his chess journey began when his elder sister, Aarna, taught him the game at the age of five. "In one week, he was beating us," Vijay told Indian Express. "We saw his potential, so we got him working with a coach. And in a few days, he won an international online tournament."

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

In the game, each player started with three minutes, with a one-second increment per move. By the 25th move, Aarit held 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 move 46, with just 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 humorous anecdote about Aarit's dedication: "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.

Aarit's draw against Carlsen follows recent success of young Indian players challenging the world champion. Just weeks prior, 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Carlsen at the Norway Chess tournament.