Chess World Stunned: Nine-Year-Old Indian Player Secures Draw Against Magnus Carlsen

Chess Sensation: Nine-Year-Old Aarit Kapil Draws Against Magnus Carlsen

In an astonishing turn of events, nine-year-old Indian chess player Aarit Kapil managed to secure a draw against world number one Magnus Carlsen in the 'Early Titled Tuesday' online chess tournament.

Kapil, a recent runner-up in the Under-9 National Championship, demonstrated exceptional skill and put Carlsen in a disadvantageous position during their game.

Despite his strong play, the young Indian player was unable to capitalize on his advantage due to time constraints, ultimately resulting in a draw in a rook versus two minor pieces endgame.

The talented youngster from Delhi participated in the online event from Georgia, where he is currently competing in the under-10 World Championship. He has started strong, winning his first two rounds, and is set to continue his campaign on Wednesday.

Another Indian player, V Pranav, emerged as the winner of the 'Early Titled Tuesday' tournament, accumulating an impressive 10 points out of 11 rounds.

American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann and Magnus Carlsen both finished with 9.5 points, with Niemann taking second place based on tiebreak criteria.

Recently, Magnus Carlsen achieved a remarkable feat by reaching a historic 2900 rating in freestyle chess, a milestone previously unattained in any chess format.

Carlsen has maintained his position as the world's top-ranked player for nearly 15 years. His peak classical chess rating was 2882, achieved in May 2014. The freestyle chess ratings are now independently managed by the Freestyle Chess organization, separate from FIDE, the global chess governing body.

"My wife (Ella Victoria) is way more attracted to me now that I've achieved 2900," Carlsen jokingly remarked to Freestyle Chess upon learning about his new rating.

The freestyle ratings calculation encompassed five tournaments: Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, and Karlsruhe 2025, encompassing a total of 578 players who participated in at least one event over the past two years.

Fellow Indian chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa holds the fourth position with 2773 points, following Carlsen (2909), Hikaru Nakamura (2818), and Fabiano Caruana (2804).