Three-Year-Old Indian Prodigy Becomes Youngest Chess Player In The World To Achieve FIDE Ranking

Sagar (MP): Three-year-old Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha from Madhya Pradesh may not know anything about the FIDE rankings or the Grandmaster status, but his skills as a chess player have been duly recognised by the International Chess Federation.

At the age of 3 years, 7 months, and 20 days, Sarwagya, who lives in Sagar district, has become the youngest chess player in the world to be ranked by the International Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE.

He is ranked 1572nd in the FIDE rankings. Previously, this record was held by Anish Sarkar of West Bengal, who achieved this feat at the age of 3 years and 8 months.

Sarwagya with his parents and grandmother. (ETV Bharat)

"My name is Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha," the young boy said as he spoke to ETV Bharat. Asked what places he has visited to play chess, he mentioned Khandwa, Bhopal, Chhindwara and Mangalore. Did he win at those places? The cute boy replied "yes" with a beaming face. The child prodigy said he would continue to play chess at places which are "good".

Sarwagya's parents and family are overjoyed with his achievement and want to see him become a Grandmaster. To achieve a FIDE ranking, one must defeat an international player. Sarwagya defeated three international-level chess players in a short period of time.

Initially, Sarwagya's parents helped him take an interest in chess to ensure he stayed away from smartphones. The young boy soon showed he was a natural when it came to playing the game.

After a few days of training, when he began to understand the game, his parents arranged for a personal coach and also provided online training. From there, Sarwagya never looked back. After just 6 months of training, he secured a place in the FIDE rankings.

Chess Prodigy Sarvagya Singh Breaks World Record, Achieves FIDE Ranking at 3 Years Old (ETV Bharat)

His personal coach, Nitin Chaurasia and national instructor, Akash Pyaasi, worked hard to help Sarwagya master the game. They both trained him for about 4 hours a day and were amazed by his talent.

After being ranked by FIDE, Sarvagya Singh performed well in chess tournaments in Mangaluru, Khandwa, Chhindwara and several other cities.

"We are celebrating the achievement of Sarwagya. It's a matter of great pride and honour for us that our son has become the youngest chess player in the world to achieve a FIDE ranking. We see a bright future for him in chess. We want him to become a Grandmaster," said Siddharth Singh Kushwaha, father of the wonder kid.

Sarwagya during one of the chess competitions. (ETV Bharat)

“He learnt the rules and the movements of chess so quickly that we felt we should further educate him on chess. We hired a coach and arranged for personal classes. He played chess for about six hours a day and then became an expert,” he said.

Sarvagya's mother, Neha Singh Kushwaha, said, "Whatever may be the achievement of Sarwagya, it would be good for us. Whether our dreams will come true or not depends on hard work and God's grace. God has blessed our child."

Also Read:

1. Kiana Parihar, 9, Sets New Milestone As Rajasthan’s First Woman Candidate Master
2. Bihar’s Young Girl Aiming To Become The First Woman Grandmaster From Her State