Another Indian makes chess history as Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha becomes youngest FIDE-rated player ever

India’s Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha made chess history on Tuesday, becoming the youngest player in the world to be ranked by FIDE, the International Chess Federation, at the age of 3 years, 7 months and 20 days. Kushwaha, who hails from Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh, broke the record that was previously held by West Bengal’s Anish Sarkar, who had achieved the feat at the age of 3 years and 8 months.

To be ranked by FIDE, an individual needs to beat at least one international player; Sarwagya ended up defeating three such players recently to break Sarkar’s record, having competed in various events across MP including in Bhopal as well as in Mangaluru, among other parts of the country.

Sarwagya, who’s ranked 1,572nd in the latest FIDE Rapid ratings, trains under the guidance of personal coach Nitin Chaurasia and national instructor Akash Pyaasi, dedicating four hours in his daily schedule to sharpening his skills in the game.

‘We see a bright future for him in chess’

The latest Indian chess wonderkid’s parents had reportedly introduced him to chess in order to prevent him from getting addicted to a smartphone. They wouldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams, however, that Sarwagya would take to the sport like duck to water and smash a world record at the age of three, especially since it took him just six months of training to defeat an international player.

“We are celebrating the achievement of Sarwagya. It’s a matter of great pride and honour for us that our son has become the youngest chess player in the world to achieve a FIDE ranking. We see a bright future for him in chess. We want him to become a Grandmaster,” Sarwagya’s father Siddharth Singh Kushwaha told ETV Bharat.

“Whatever may be the achievement of Sarwagya, it would be good for us. Whether our dreams will come true or not depends on hard work and God’s grace. God has blessed our child,” Neha, Sarwagya’s mother, reacted.