Chess Prodigy: Nine-Year-Old Aarit Kapil Holds Magnus Carlsen to Draw in Online Tournament

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

In an astonishing turn of events, nine-year-old Indian chess player Aarit Kapil managed to secure a draw against the reigning world number one, Magnus Carlsen, during the 'Early Titled Tuesday' online chess tournament.

Magnus Carlsen (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Aarit Kapil, fresh off his second-place finish at the Under-9 National Championship, showcased exceptional skill and had Carlsen in a precarious position, seemingly on the verge of defeat.

However, the young Indian player was unable to capitalize on his advantage due to time constraints. The game concluded in a draw during the endgame, featuring a rook versus two minor pieces scenario.

This remarkable feat occurred while the Delhi-based Aarit was participating in the under-10 World Championship in Georgia. He has started strong, winning his first two rounds, and is scheduled to play his third game on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in the same 'Early Titled Tuesday' tournament, fellow Indian player V Pranav emerged victorious, accumulating an impressive 10 points out of a possible 11. American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann and Carlsen both scored 9.5 points, with Niemann claiming the second position based on tiebreaks.

Carlsen's Recent Milestone

In related news, Magnus Carlsen recently achieved a historic milestone in freestyle chess, surpassing the 2900 rating mark – a feat never before accomplished in any format of the game.

Freestyle Chess Ratings

The new freestyle chess ratings are managed by the Freestyle Chess organisation, independent 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 remarked to Freestyle Chess after learning about his new rating.

The freestyle ratings calculation encompassed five tournaments: Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, and Karlsruhe 2025. A total of 578 players who participated in at least one of these events over the past two years were included in the rankings.

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