8-year-old Indian boy becomes youngest ever to beat a chess grandmaster

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At just 8 years and 6 months old, Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster in classical chess.

New chess rising star: Ashwath, born in India and residing in Singapore, clinched victory against 37-year-old Polish grandmaster (GM) Jacek Stopa during the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland on Feb. 18, reported Chess.com. This historic triumph came after an intense three-hour battle on the board.

Record-breaking achievement: The boy's remarkable feat comes on the heels of another record-breaking performance by Leonid Ivanovic, who became the youngest player under 9 years old (8 years and 11 months) to defeat a GM in classical chess by beating GM Milko Popchev on Jan. 11. Kaushik surpassed Ivanovic's achievement by being nearly five months younger.

Reflecting on his win, Ashwath expressed his excitement and pride, saying, “It’s a very exciting feeling and amazing to be able to beat my first grandmaster on the board and it’s in classical [chess] so I feel very proud of myself.”

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Early beginnings: Introduced to chess at the age of 4 by his parents, Rohini Ramachandran and Kaushik Sriram, Ashwath displayed his innate talent for the game early on. Within months of learning the rules, he easily bested family members in the game. His rigorous training regimen includes two hours of practice on weekdays and six to seven hours on weekends.

At age 6, he won triple gold in the Under-8 category of the Eastern Asian Youth Championship in 2022. He then went on to play abroad to compete in international events and later became the World Under-8 Rapid Champion in the same year.

“It’s surreal as there isn’t really any sports tradition in our families. Every day is a new discovery, and we sometimes stumble in search of the right pathway for him,” his father was quoted saying.

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Family support: Ashwath's parents have reportedly nurtured his talent and provided unwavering support ever since. After his recent victory, they expressed their commitment to supporting their son in his pursuit of excellence in the sport. They also acknowledged the challenges of balancing intense training schedules with maintaining his energy levels.

“We were all really happy but he had to quickly refocus so I don’t think we had a lot of time to celebrate right after the game, but we’ll definitely do some celebration when we’re back home with the whole family,” the boy's mother said, according to The Guardian.

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