Nine years old chess prodigy Aarit Kapil etched his name in the history book as he became the youngest-ever player to defeat a Grandmaster. Kapil went on to defeat 66 years old Raset Ziatdinov of the United States in the ninth round of KIIT Open International tournament. With this Aarit Kapil joined the elite list of chess prodigies at the age of nine years, two months and 18 days.
Aarit Kapil has now become the third youngest player in the world and the youngest player from India to defeat a Grandmaster in chess. He is behind Singapore's Ashwath Kaushik, who achieved the feat at the age of eight years and six months, and Serbia’s Leonid Ivanovic, who went on to defeat a Grandmaster at the age of eight years and 11 months.
9 years old Aarit Kapil defeats United States’ GM Raset Ziatdinov
Aarit Kapil was set to face 66 years old Raset Ziatdinov from the United States. The veteran chess player is known for his strategic prowess and even had a lead against Kapil with his superior pawn structure. However, the young player from Delhi didn’t back down for once in an intense match that lasted for 63 moves. In the end, Ziatdinov made a blunder and lost his knight in a crucial error. After that, Kapil took the opportunity to claim the historic win.
Throughout the match, Aarit Kapil showed his calm composure and maturity that was way ahead of his age. Now, the nine years old chess prodigy is set to face a new challenge as he will be seen competing in the Under-13 National Championship in Durgapur later this month. After that, Aarit Kapil will compete in Under-9 National Championships in Pune.
