Picture Credit: X
A three-year-old boy from Kolkata, Anish Sarkar, scripted history as he became the youngest FIDE-rated chess player. Sarkar, born on January 26, 2021, earned his first official chess rating at the age of 3 years, 8 months, and 19 days old. With this, he became the youngest FIDE-rated chess player. His official Elo rating of 1555 was confirmed on November 1, 2024, marking a significant chapter in the history.
Anish began participating in competitive chess in October at the West Bengal state Under-9 Open, where he scored 5.5 points from eight rounds. Sarkar took down two rated players and was placed 24th overall. Not only this, but later, he went to compete in the state Under-13 Open. This match met the requirements of playing five rated players and secured him a FIDE rating of 1555.
We introduced him to Peppa Pig, but he was drawn to chess videos: Anish’s mother
As Anish secured the ratings, he surpassed the previous record set by Tejas Tiwari, who had become the youngest FIDE-rated player at the age of five. His mother Reshma told PTI, “We introduced him to different YouTube channels, including cartoons like Peppa Pig, but he was drawn to chess videos.”
She added, “By January, his interest had grown, and he would watch those videos endlessly. I bought him a chessboard and pieces, thinking it was safe for him to handle even if I couldn’t supervise him closely. Since he was already good with numbers and counting, chess quickly became his favourite. That’s when we decided to place him under the guidance of Dibyendu Sir.”
