Meet 8-Year-Old Ashwath Kaushik, The Youngest Chess Player To Beat A Grandmaster
Ashwath Kaushik, an Indian-origin boy has created history by becoming the youngest player ever to beat a Chess grandmaster.
Kaushik, from Singapore, set a new world record on Sunday after defeating 37-year-old Polish Grandmaster Jacek Stopa in a three-hour game of chess at Switzerland¡¯s Burgdorfer Stadthaus-Open.
Youngest to beat a Grandmaster
Kaushik, who was born in India is just eight years and six months old.
¡°It felt really exciting and amazing, and I felt proud of my game and how I played, especially since I was worse at one point but managed to come back from that,¡± Kaushik told Chess.com.
Ashwath who was seeded 59th among the 127 participants, finished the tournament in 12th place after losing his final game against Harry Grieve.?
Previous record was set last month
With Kaushik's win on Sunday, the previous record, which was set less than a month ago has become history.
Last month, Leonid Ivanovic from Serbia dethroned Grandmaster Awonder Liang to become the first player under the age of nine to defeat a grandmaster in a classical tournament game.
Ashwath Kaushik was U-8 world champion at 6
Kaushik's record-breaking achievement is no accident and he has already made a name for himself in the game. His other achievements include becoming the World Under-8 Rapid champion in 2022 when he was just six.?
What makes Kaushik's achievement even more impressive is that he doesn't come from a Chess background.
Has no background in Chess
According to Ashwath¡¯s father Kaushik Sriram, neither he nor his wife used to play chess and was surprised to discover his talent in the game.
"He picked it up on his own, playing with his grandparents. 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," the proud father said.
According to his father, Ashwath currently practices around seven hours a day and is also working with some top coaches to improve his game.
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