Chess Prodigy: 9-Year-Old Indian Holds Magnus Carlsen to Draw in Online Tournament

In an online chess tournament, a nine-year-old Indian prodigy, Aarit Kapil, achieved a remarkable draw against the world's top-ranked player, Magnus Carlsen. The event was the 'Early Titled Tuesday' online chess tournament.

Magnus Carlsen in deep thought during a previous match.

Aarit Kapil, fresh off his runner-up finish in the Under-9 National Championship, put immense pressure on the five-time world champion. He even managed to put Carlsen in a potentially losing situation.

However, the young Indian player faced time constraints, which prevented him from capitalizing on his advantage. The game ultimately ended in a draw, with a rook versus two minor pieces endgame.

The talented boy from Delhi participated in the tournament from Georgia, where he is currently competing in the under-10 World Championship. He has started strong, winning his first two rounds, and is set to play his third game on Wednesday.

While Aarit Kapil's draw was a highlight, Indian player V Pranav emerged as the winner of the 'Early Titled Tuesday' tournament. Pranav secured an impressive 10 points out of a possible 11. American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann and Magnus Carlsen both finished with 9.5 points, with Niemann taking second place based on tiebreaks.

Carlsen's Historic Freestyle Chess Rating

Adding to his accolades, Magnus Carlsen recently achieved a historic milestone. He reached an unprecedented 2900 rating in freestyle chess, a feat never before accomplished in any format of the game.

Having maintained the world number one position for nearly 15 years, Carlsen's peak classical chess rating was 2882, achieved in May 2014.

The new freestyle chess ratings are managed by the Freestyle Chess organization, independently from FIDE, the global governing body for chess.

Carlsen jokingly remarked on his achievement, stating, "My wife (Ella Victoria) is way more attracted to me now that I've achieved 2900," after learning about his 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 event over the past two years were included.

Other notable Indian players are also making waves in the freestyle chess scene. Praggnanandhaa is currently ranked fourth with 2773 points, following Carlsen (2909), Hikaru Nakamura (2818), and Fabiano Caruana (2804).