Indian Chess Prodigy, 9, Holds Magnus Carlsen to Draw in Online Tournament

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

In a stunning display of skill, nine-year-old Indian chess prodigy Aarit Kapil achieved a draw against world number one Magnus Carlsen in the 'Early Titled Tuesday' online chess tournament.

Magnus Carlsen in deep thought during a previous tournament.

Aarit Kapil, the Under-9 National Championship runner-up, dominated the game, even putting the five-time world champion, Carlsen, in a potentially losing position. Despite the pressure, the young Indian player demonstrated remarkable composure. Ultimately, time constraints prevented him from capitalizing on his advantage, resulting in a draw during a rook versus two minor pieces endgame.

The talented player from Delhi participated in the online tournament from Georgia, where he is currently competing in the under-10 World Championship. He has secured victories in his initial two rounds and is set to continue his journey with his third game on Wednesday.

While Aarit Kapil's draw was a highlight, Indian player V Pranav emerged victorious in 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 claiming second place based on tiebreaks.

In other news, Magnus Carlsen recently achieved a historic feat by reaching a 2900 rating in freestyle chess. This milestone is unprecedented in any chess format.

Carlsen, who has maintained his position as the world's number one player for nearly 15 years, previously attained a peak classical chess rating of 2882 in May 2014. The Freestyle Chess organisation now manages the new freestyle chess ratings, operating independently from FIDE, the global chess governing body.

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

The freestyle ratings calculation considered five tournaments: Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, and Karlsruhe 2025. These events included 578 players who participated in at least one tournament over the past two years.

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