Delhi’s 9-year-old chess prodigy Aarit Kapil comes near beating Magnus Carlsen
In a unprecedented present of expertise and composure, nine-year-old Aarit Kapil from Delhi got here inside a whisker of defeating reigning world primary Magnus Carlsen in a high-stakes conflict throughout the ‘Early Titled Tuesday’ match held on a significant on-line platform on Wednesday, June 25.
Taking part in from his lodge room in Georgia, the place he’s at the moment competing within the Below-10 World Championship, Aarit confronted the five-time world champion with poise effectively past his years. For a lot of the match, the Indian prodigy held the higher hand, even manoeuvring Carlsen into what analysts later known as a “utterly misplaced place.”
With a rook versus two minor items within the last endgame, Aarit had a bonus that might have spelled defeat for one of many best gamers to have ever performed the game. Nonetheless, with the clock ticking down and solely seconds remaining, he was unable to transform the win and needed to accept a well-earned draw. Nonetheless, the efficiency despatched shockwaves by means of the chess world—few gamers, not to mention schoolchildren, have come this near toppling Carlsen.
WHO IS AARIT KAPIL?
Aarit Kapil is shortly changing into one of the vital talked-about younger names within the world chess circuit. Hailing from Delhi, he first made headlines in December 2024 by defeating Grandmaster Raset Ziatdinov on the KIIT Worldwide Open in Bhubaneswar. At simply 9 years, two months, and eighteen days outdated, Aarit grew to become the youngest Indian ever to beat a GM in classical play, and the third-youngest globally—behind solely Singapore’s Ashwath Kaushik and Serbia’s Leonid Ivanovic.
Recognized for his calm temperament and sharp tactical eye, Aarit capitalised on a late blunder by Ziatdinov in that recreation to say a surprising 63-move victory. Since then, he has maintained a peak Elo score of round 1825 and continues to dominate his age group in each nationwide and worldwide competitions.
Aarit Kapil holds the title of Candidate Grasp (CM), which he achieved in 2025. This FIDE title sometimes requires a participant to succeed in a score of 2200 in some unspecified time in the future of their profession. It ranks under FIDE Grasp (FM) and above most national-level titles. Whereas the CM title is normally awarded based mostly on score, FIDE may grant it for distinctive performances in worldwide youth occasions or continental championships, even when the score threshold has not been met.
Presently vying for a podium end within the Below-10 World Championship, Aarit has already secured wins within the first two rounds and appears to hold this momentum ahead. With upcoming occasions just like the Indian Below-13 and Below-9 championships on the horizon, Aarit goes to make extra headlines within the coming days.
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