Have you ever played chess? ♟️
If so, you’ll know that it takes plenty of practice, and winning can be difficult.
Now imagine how hard it would be to beat someone with Grandmaster (GM) status – the highest official rating (2,500+) a player can receive from the International Chess Federation.
Sounds impossible, right? 🤯
Well, for most people it is, but Ashwath Kaushik is not most people.
The Indian-born child prodigy, who lives in Singapore, became the youngest chess player to defeat a grandmaster when he was just 8 years and 172 days old! 👏
Ashwath achieved this magnificent milestone at the 22nd Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland.
Recalling the event, he told us: “I knew about the record and was trying to achieve it if given a chance to be paired with a Grandmaster.” 🤔
After winning his first 3 games, Ashwath was offered that all-important opportunity.
His next opponent was 37-year-old GM Jacek Stopa from Poland.
Fun fact – Stopa was awarded GM status in 2015, the year that Ashwath was born! 👶
During the mind-bending battle, victory wasn’t guaranteed for Ashwath.
“Stopa was a bit better in the middle after I played a bit inaccurately. 🫤
“I was thinking about my previous GM game 6–8 months ago, when I was similarly in a good position to win but couldn't convert and drew.”
But fortunately for Ashwath, he figured out how to defeat Stopa in the 4th round of their game: “I think after Nxg4 – [the knight piece moved to the g4 square] – it felt that suddenly I had a path to win.” ♞
This is your reminder to never give up!
After the tournament, in which he finished 12th overall among 127 players, Ashwath celebrated by going sightseeing in Switzerland. 🥳
“I visited Jungfrau and the Ice Palace, which was amazing.”
Where in the world would you like to go? ✈️
So, how did Ashwath become so talented at chess?
Well, he started playing at 4 and a half years of age! 😮
“[I learned] through a chess app that my parents introduced me to, which had videos of how pieces move, and I could play against a basic bot.” ♕
Ashwath was captivated by the clever tactics and challenging puzzles, and that’s when his love for the game really took off!
Within just 2 years, he won triple gold in the Under-8 category of the 2022 Eastern Asian Youth Championship. 🥇🥇🥇
That year, he also began competing in different continents and became the World Under-8 Rapid Champion.
“It [felt] good, as I was among the lower-rated players going into the event,” he explained. 🏆
So, the big question is, how can you become a chess pro like Ashwath?
Here are his top 3 tips:
- Regularly complete puzzles 🧩
- Do chess visualization exercises 👀
- Practise a lot online 🖥️
How many hours do you think Ashwath spends practising every week?
Here’s a clue: “School weekdays are a balance across homework and chess; weekends and holidays are fully for chess.”
Ready for the answer? 💭
Ashwath trains for around 2 hours on school days, and 6-7 hours at the weekends and in the holidays.
This means that he usually completes 24 hours of practice every week – that’s equivalent to a whole day!!!
Surprisingly, Ashwath manages to also find time for his other favourite hobbies, including:
- Building LEGO® models 👐
- Reading novels 📖
- Playing football ⚽
So, what’s next for the 8-year-old?
When we asked him what he hopes to achieve by the age of 18, Ashwath confidently stated his goal is to become a “super GM,” the unofficial step up from GM status that requires a rating of 2700+. ⭐
“I want to be known for [playing] creative and fearless chess.”
And when it comes to career plans, Ashwath aspires to become a full-time chess player or a LEGO® designer. 🤩
I’m sure you’ll agree that either of those jobs would be super cool!
What do YOU want to be doing in 10 years’ time? 🫵
Congratulations, Ashwath, you are Officially Amazing! 🎉
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