Chess Prodigy, 9, Holds Magnus Carlsen to Draw: Indian Star Shines in Online Tournament

Chess Sensation: Nine-Year-Old Aarit Kapil Draws Against Magnus Carlsen

In a stunning turn of events, nine-year-old Indian chess prodigy Aarit Kapil managed to secure a draw against world number one Magnus Carlsen in the 'Early Titled Tuesday' online chess tournament.

Magnus Carlsen (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Kapil, who recently achieved second place in the Under-9 National Championship, put immense pressure on the five-time world champion during their game. Sources say that Carlsen was in a potentially losing position at one point.

However, the young Indian player was unable to capitalize on his advantage due to time constraints. The game concluded in a draw during an endgame scenario involving a rook against two minor pieces.

The talented player from Delhi participated in the online event while in Georgia, where he is currently competing in the under-10 World Championship. Kapil has won his first two rounds, with his third game scheduled for Wednesday.

While Kapil's draw against Carlsen was a major talking point, Indian player V Pranav ultimately won the 'Early Titled Tuesday' tournament with an impressive score of 10 points out of 11. American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann and Carlsen tied for second place with 9.5 points, with Niemann securing the runner-up position based on tiebreakers.

Adding to his list of achievements, Magnus Carlsen recently achieved a record-breaking 2900 rating in freestyle chess. This milestone marks the highest rating ever recorded in any chess format.

Carlsen has maintained his position as the world's number one player for nearly 15 years. His peak classical chess rating was 2882, achieved in May 2014. Freestyle chess ratings are now managed separately by the Freestyle Chess organization, independent of FIDE, the global chess governing body.

"My wife (Ella Victoria) is way more attracted to me now that I've achieved 2900," Carlsen joked with Freestyle Chess after learning about his new rating.

The freestyle ratings calculation included data from five tournaments: Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, and Karlsruhe 2025. This data encompassed 578 players who participated in at least one of these events over the past two years.

Another Indian chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa, currently holds the fourth position in freestyle chess with 2773 points, following Carlsen (2909), Hikaru Nakamura (2818), and Fabiano Caruana (2804).