Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha from India was 2.5 years old when he picked up chess. Now he plays up to five hours a day, and at just three years, seven months, and 20 days, he has become the youngest FIDE-rated player.
Chess is becoming younger and younger, with children picking it up and learning the game earlier, and before they have even learned the alphabet.
Last year, we saw three-year-old Anish Sarkar from Kolkata, India, make headlines globally by demonstrating advanced concepts such as the smothered mate and the classic double-rook sacrifice checkmate, having learned the game through YouTube videos. Anish achieved a FIDE rating of 1555, the youngest at the time.
Sarwangya from Sagar in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has now surpassed that mark by a month, after the toddler achieved a rapid rating of 1572 on the latest December list. It’s not yet confirmed whether he is the youngest-ever rated player, but it’s likely given that he is the only child born in 2022 listed in the federation’s rating database.
Now in nursery school, he spends four to five hours a day on chess, one hour at a local training center, and the rest studying videos or playing online games, according to his parents. “We pushed him into chess last year because we noticed his mind was a sponge and he would pick up things very quickly. In a week of being taught chess, he could name all the pieces accurately,” his father Siddharth told The Indian Express.
We pushed him into chess last year because we noticed his mind was a sponge and he would pick up things very quickly.
—Siddarth, father of Sarwangya
His parents have told Indian media they pushed him into chess in an attempt to reduce his screen time, but were surprised at how quickly he would learn the game.
“He loves the sport a lot. If you wake him up in the middle of the night and ask him to play, he will for hours without a break. But what separates him from other kids his age is his patience to sit on the board and not get restless,” his father said.
To receive an initial FIDE rating, a player must score points against at least five rated opponents in official FIDE-rated events, no small feat for a child who must sometimes stand on a chair to reach the board. He also needs to score a performance higher than the minimum rating, of 1400.
Remarkably, Sarwagya’s first rating of 1572 rating is considerably above that, after he won five out of his eight rated games. The toddler secured those results in tournaments, defeating players up to ten times his age.
- 24th RCC International FIDE Rapid Cup (Mangaluru): Defeated 22-year-old Abhijeet Awasthi (1542)
- 2nd Shri Dadaji Dhuniwale Open (Khandwa): Beat 29-year-old Shubham Chourasiya (1559)
- Dr. Ajit Kasliwal Memorial All India Open Rapid (Indore): Defeated 20-year-old Yogesh Namdev (1696)
- 1st GH Raisoni Memorial (Chhindwara): Defeated Awasthi again, securing his final needed result
The toddler is already receiving regular coaching. “When his parents first approached me to train him last year, he looked like a very normal kid. But soon, his capability to play the game well started to shine,” his coach Nitin Chaurasiya told the newspaper.
Sarwagya’s coaches are already talking about him becoming the youngest-ever grandmaster, a record held by GM Abhimanyu Mishra at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days. “We’ll start looking for other coaches soon who can train him for that goal. Maybe get him some online coaching too,” the coach told The Indian Express.
