Chess Sensation: Nine-Year-Old Indian Holds Magnus Carlsen to Draw, World No. 1 Achieves Historic Rating

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

In a stunning turn of events, nine-year-old Indian chess player Aarit Kapil secured a remarkable draw against world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the 'Early Titled Tuesday' online chess tournament.

Kapil, a recent runner-up in the Under-9 National Championship, showcased exceptional skill, dominating the game and putting the five-time world champion in a disadvantageous position.

However, the young Indian was unable to capitalize on his advantage due to time constraints, resulting in a draw in an endgame featuring a rook versus two minor pieces.

The talented player from Delhi participated in the event from Georgia, where he is currently competing in the under-10 World Championship. He has started strong, winning his first two rounds and preparing for his third game.

While Kapil's draw against Carlsen was a highlight, Indian player V Pranav emerged as the champion of the 'Early Titled Tuesday' tournament, accumulating an impressive 10 points out of 11 rounds. American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann and Carlsen finished tied for second place with 9.5 points, with Niemann securing the runner-up position on tiebreak.

Carlsen's Historic Rating

In other news, Magnus Carlsen recently achieved a historic milestone, reaching a 2900 rating in freestyle chess. This accomplishment marks the first time a player has reached such a high rating in any format of the game.

Carlsen, who has maintained his position as the world's number one player for nearly 15 years, had previously achieved a peak classical chess rating of 2882 in May 2014.

The freestyle chess ratings are now managed by the Freestyle Chess organization, independently of FIDE, the global chess governing body.

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

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

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