Abhimanyu Mishra
Age: 13
Home country: USA
Special skill: Chess
Hi, I'm Abhimanyu Mishra and I hold the record for the youngest chess Grandmaster, which I achieved when I was 12. The record I broke had stood for 19 years! When I’m not playing chess, I read books and play video games.
I'm Abhimanyu Mishra and I’m from New Jersey, USA. As you can imagine I’m absolutely obsessed with chess, and I’ve been playing it basically all my life.
My father introduced me to chess when I was 2.5 years of age and I started playing the tournaments when I was 5. My father inspired me as he was my first teacher.
It became a part of my life and after I started playing in the tournaments, I realized that it is so much fun and started loving it even more.
My family has been my backbone and my support throughout this journey. They are proud that I am able to achieve what I wanted since I started playing chess.
I believe chess helps you with your analytical skills and calculations. Chess is very close to real life. It helps in making informed decisions.
What is a chess Grandmaster?
A Grandmaster is the highest possible title a chess player can receive. It is awarded by the world chess organization FIDE and you keep the title for life. Mishra became a Grandmaster by achieving an Elo rating (how skill levels are measured in chess and other games) of over 2500.
How I became a chess pro
As with all things, to be good at something you have to work hard. I spend lots of hours a day practising my skills
During the pandemic, worked 10-12 hours a day. But overall on any given day, it is 7-8 hours of chess. That includes:
- Learning about game openings
- Middle and end games
- Going over tactics
- Playing chess games online
The preparation remains the same for any game I play, regardless it is a norm event, any other over the board tournament or any online chess game.
There are mixed feelings during the chess games, like anger when I make a blunder, excited when I find out a tactic, elated when I win a game.
Abhimanyu Mishra
The journey to becoming a Grandmaster
I have always aspired to be the youngest grandmaster since I started understating and playing chess. To achieve this milestone of becoming the youngest Grand Master, I had to accomplish smaller milestones to eventually reach my goal.
- National Record for Youngest US Chess Expert (USCF Rating : 2000) that I got in 7yrs, 6 months, 22 days Meet Abhimanyu Mishra, Our Youngest Ever US Chess Expert | US Chess.org
- National Record for Youngest US Chess Master (USCF Rating: 2200) that I got in 9yrs., 2 months, 17 days Abhimanyu Mishra Youngest US Chess Master Ever | US Chess.org
- International Record for Youngest Ever International Master that I got in 10 yrs, 9 months, 20 days. Abhimanyu Mishra Youngest IM In History - Chess.com
The big record-breaking game
I was a bit nervous and excited at the same time before the Grandmaster norm game Budapest, Hungary, as I had to win the game to achieve the Grandmaster title.
If I lost or drew the game, I would have to wait for another norm event. 😨
In preparation, I had looked into my openings, practiced some middle games and end games.
After I broke the world record, I was on cloud nine and elated, at the same time relieved that I was able to achieve my goal during the pandemic.
It an honor to receive a Guinness World Records certificate. I have been reading about the people and things who are featured and to be one among them, I feel really privileged.
Your talent cannot always replace your hard work and passion. If you want to be good at anything, you need to strive towards it with full commitment of hard work, focus and passion. Talent will always be an additional punch that will take you to your destination.
Abhimanyu Mishra
My plans for the future
Now that I am a Grandmaster, the actual journey begins. There is so much to learn and execute.
My next goals is to be a super GM (FIDE rating 2700) by the age of 15.
My ultimate goal? To be a World Champion one day. I might be the World Champion in 10 years’ time.
I want to be the very best in the chess world and rule it like a king.
Remember: with hard work, dedication and perseverance , you can achieve and conquer anything in the world. You just need to remain calm and focused towards your goal.
My chess hero 🤩
Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen is the current world champion and has been reigning the world of chess for a decade now. He has been very consistent and is a phenomenal endgame player.
There are so many things we all can learn from him.