A nine-year-old Aarit Kapil from Delhi came close to defeating world number one Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz match. The game took place during the Early Titled Tuesday tournament hosted by Chess.com.

Playing against one of the greatest chess players of all time, Aarit held a strong position throughout the match. After 49 moves, the game ended in a draw, not because Aarit lost ground, but because time ran out.

Aarit Kapil: India’s young chess star

Aarit Kapil is a Candidate Master, a title given by FIDE to players who achieve a rating of 2200 or show strong performances in major events. Currently, Aarit has a FIDE classical rating of 2078.

The young player lives in Mayur Vihar, New Delhi, and studies at Somerville School. He began playing chess at the age of 4 and now trains 5–6 hours a day under the mentorship of International Master Vishal Sareen.

Last year, Aarit made headlines after becoming the youngest Indian—and the third youngest in the world- to beat a Grandmaster in a classical chess match.

What makes Aarit's recent draw even more remarkable is the setting; he played the match against Carlsen from a hotel room in Georgia, where he is currently participating in the Under-10 World Chess Championship.

What is Titled Tuesday?

The Titled Tuesday tournament is a popular weekly event on Chess.com open only to players with official FIDE titles such as Grandmaster (GM), International Master (IM), FIDE Master (FM), and Candidate Master (CM).

Aarit’s performance in the tournament, especially his draw with Carlsen, is being praised as another step forward for India’s growing list of young chess talents.

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