Meet Aarit Kapil, 9-year-old Delhi boy who managed a draw against Magnus Carlsen

Aarit Kapil, aged nine, came close to defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen before settling for a draw in the 'Early Titled Tuesday' chess tournament held on a leading online platform.

 

Delhi native Aarit, the runner-up at the recent Under-9 National Championship, matched the five-time world champion move for move and had Carlsen in a completely lost position.

 

But with time running out and only a few seconds left on his clock, the young Indian was unable to convert his advantage and eventually forced a draw in a rook versus two minor pieces endgame.

 

Aarit Kapil played this event from his hotel in Georgia where he is currently battling for a podium finish in the under-10 World championship. He managed wis in the first two rounds and will play his third game on Wednesday.

 

In December 2024, he had defeated American Grandmaster Raset Ziatdinov in the ninth round of the KIIT International Open chess tournament in Bhubaneswar. He thus became the youngest to defeat a Grandmaster in a classical chess match.

 

Meanwhile, India's V Pranav clinched the 'Early Titled Tuesday' title with an impressive 10 out of 11 points.

 

American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann and Carlsen both finished with 9.5 points, but Niemann secured second place on tiebreak.

Sports