Indian Chess Prodigy, 9, Holds Magnus Carlsen to Draw in Online Tournament; Carlsen Achieves Historic Freestyle Rating

Chess Prodigy: Nine-Year-Old Indian Holds Magnus Carlsen to a Draw

In an online chess spectacle, nine-year-old Indian chess player Aarit Kapil achieved a remarkable draw against world number one Magnus Carlsen. The event was the 'Early Titled Tuesday' online chess tournament, where young Aarit showcased his impressive skills.

Magnus Carlsen in deep thought during a recent chess match.

Aarit Kapil, who recently secured the runner-up position in the Under-9 National Championship, displayed dominance throughout the game, even putting the five-time world champion, Carlsen, in a potentially losing situation.

However, the pressure of time constraints prevented the young Indian talent from capitalizing on his advantage. The game ultimately concluded in a draw during a rook versus two minor pieces endgame.

The young chess player from Delhi participated in the online tournament while in Georgia, where he is currently competing in the under-10 World Championship. He has started strong, winning his first two rounds, and is scheduled to continue with his third game on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Indian player V Pranav emerged as the victor of the 'Early Titled Tuesday' tournament, accumulating an impressive 10 points out of a possible 11. American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann and Carlsen both tied for second place with 9.5 points, with Niemann securing the position due to tiebreaks.

Carlsen's Recent Achievements

Magnus Carlsen recently reached a historic milestone, achieving a 2900 rating in freestyle chess. This accomplishment marks the first time such a rating has been attained in any chess format.

Freestyle Chess Ratings

The freestyle ratings calculation considered several tournaments:

• Weissenhaus 2024
• Singapore 2024
• Weissenhaus 2025
• Paris 2025
• Karlsruhe 2025

These tournaments encompassed 578 players who participated in at least one event over the course of two years.

Following Carlsen (2909), other top players in freestyle chess include Hikaru Nakamura (2818) and Fabiano Caruana (2804). Indian chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa ranks fourth with 2773 points.