An eight-year-old Indian-origin boy Ashwath Kaushik made history by defeating Polish chess grandmaster Jacek Stopa at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland on February 20.
Chess prodigy makes history
Representing Singapore, Ashwath achieved this feat, becoming the youngest player ever to defeat a GM in classical chess. Stopa (37), nearly five times Ashwath's age, faced the impressive young talent in this remarkable match, as reported by Channel News Asia.
Ashwath broke Leonid Ivanovic's record
The previous record was recently surpassed when Serbia's Leonid Ivanovic, slightly older than Ashwath, defeated 60-year-old Bulgarian grandmaster Milko Popchev at the Belgrade Open.
I felt proud of my game: Kaushik
Ranked at world No. 37,338 by FIDE, the international chess federation, the Indian citizen, who relocated to Singapore in 2017, expressed his satisfaction, stating, "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."
Singaporean grandmaster and CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation Kevin Goh praised Ashwath's achievement on 'X', commenting, "Dad is super supportive, boy is dedicated, school allows flexibility and of course he has natural talent.”
"Remains to be seen how far he can go as interests can change as the boy gets older. Still, we are hopeful." Goh also joked that as he is only eight years old, Ashwath still "needs a booster cushion to reach the other side of the board".
He credited Ashwath's success to the ‘many other coaches and supporters’ who have been part of his journey.
Goh also expressed his desire that Ashwath's achievement will serve as inspiration for more children to engage in competitive chess.
"I think his achievement shows that with the right amount of talent and support, a young player has every chance of achieving success in chess," Goh said.
In 2022, Ashwath gained attention by clinching victories in all three chess variations—classic, rapid, and blitz—at the under-8 Eastern Asia Youth Championship.
Ashwath's father thanked the coaches
Ashwath's father Sriram Kaushik shared on 'X' that his son's surprising victory over Stopa was “one of the proudest moments of my life.”
"Special thanks to Ashwath's true pillars and his long-term, and often long-suffering coaches who have put up with him for many years through thick and thin," he was quoted as saying.
"Puzzle solving certainly (is) at the core of his board success as well," he added.
Goh mentioned that Ashwath's upcoming objective is to enhance his ratings and attain the title of candidate master in chess.
He is also focused on performing strongly in FIDE's World Cup for youngsters scheduled later this year.
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