An 8-year-old boy of Indian origin broke the world record for becoming the youngest person to defeat a grandmaster in classical chess. chess news

An eight-year-old Indian-origin boy defeated Polish chess grandmaster Jacek Stopa at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland on Sunday, becoming the youngest player to defeat a GM in classical chess. Ashwath Kaushik, representing Singapore, defeated Stoppa, who is almost five times his age at 37, Channel News Asia reported. The previous record was set just a few weeks ago when Serbia’s Leonid Ivanovic, who is several months older than Ashwath, defeated 60-year-old Bulgarian grandmaster Milko Popchev at the Belgrade Open.

“I felt proud of my game and the way I played, especially since I Was worse at one point, but managed to do it.” Come back from there.” Singapore Grandmaster and Singapore Chess Federation CEO Kevin Goh lauded Ashwath’s achievement at ‘X’, saying, “Dad is very supportive, the boy is dedicated, the school allows flexibility and he definitely has natural talent. .

“It remains to be seen how far he can go as the boy’s interests may change as he grows. Still, we are hopeful.” Goh also joked that since he is only eight years old, Ashwath still “needs a booster cushion to reach the other side of the board”.

He also credited Ashwath’s success to “the many other coaches and supporters” on his journey.

Goh also hopes Ashwath’s success can inspire more children to play chess at a competitive level.

Goh said, “I think his achievement shows that with the right amount of talent and support, a young player has every chance of achieving success in chess.”

Ashwath made waves after emerging as triple champion in chess variations – Classic, Rapid and Blitz – at the Under-8 Eastern Asia Youth Championship in 2022.

Sriram Kaushik said in a post on ‘X’ that his son’s unexpected victory over Stoppa was “one of the proudest moments of my life”.

He was quoted as saying, “Special thanks to the true pillars of Ashwath and his long-term, and often long-suffering, coaches who have supported him through thick and thin for many years.”

“Puzzle-solving is certainly at the core of their board’s success as well,” he said.

According to Goh, Ashwath’s next goal is to improve his rating and achieve the title of Candidate Master in chess.

He also aims to perform well at the FIDE World Cup for Youth at the end of the year.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)