Meet Anish Sarkar, World's Youngest FIDE-Rated Chess Player At Three Years, Eight Months, 19 Days

India's tryst with incredibly young chess talent continues. Giving the word 'prodigy' a whole new meaning, West Bengal's Anish Sarkar has reportedly become the youngest rated player of all time, at the age of 3 years, eight months and 19 days. (More Chess News)

Sarkar made his tournament debut before he turned three-and-a-half years old and even played India's top-ranked Grandmaster (GM) Arjun Erigaisi (world number 4) in a simultaneous match en route getting his first Elo rating of 1555 confirmed on Friday (November 1, 2024), according to a ChessBase India report.

Born on 26 January, 2021, Sarkar took part in the West Bengal State Under-9 Open and the West Bengal State Under-13 Open in October. He notched up 5.5 points out of a maximum eight in the under-9 tournament and ended up in 24th place in the 140-strong field. At this event, which was his debut in a classical tourney, the prodigy beat two rated players in the last two rounds: Arav Chatterjee (1551) and Ahilaan Baishya (1442).

Though Sarkar lost against both rated players he faced in the subsequent under-13 event, playing against them was enough to secure him a FIDE (International Chess Federation) rating. Sarkar has thus overtaken compatriot Tejas Tiwari to become the world’s youngest player with a FIDE rating. In 2023, Tiwari had become the youngest FIDE-rated player at the age of five.

"He reminds me of Mitrabha Guha (who became GM at 20 years). Anish definitely has potential but he has a long, long way to go," India's second GM and Sarkar's coach Dibyendu Barua was quoted as saying in a PTI report.

In most videos of Sarkar at chess tournaments, he is seen sitting on a stack of chairs just to reach the chessboard, making it a fascinating sight. In one video, the three-year-old plays against three GMs, including Barua and Surya Sekhar Ganguly, while balancing on the chairs as his coach Barua, playfully pinches his cheek.

"We've put him in a special group, where he trains for seven to eight hours," Barua told PTI. "Sometimes, he even comes to my home to play, and once he sits down at the board, he simply won't get up. His focus is truly astounding," he added.

Born into a lower-middle-class family with parents who had "zero knowledge of chess," Sarkar's journey began just a year ago when he was a toddler. "We introduced him to different YouTube channels, including cartoons like Peppa Pig, but he was drawn to chess videos," his mother told PTI.

"By January, his interest had grown, and he would watch those videos endlessly. I bought him a chessboard and pieces, thinking it was safe for him to handle even if I couldn't supervise him closely.

"Since he was already good with numbers and counting, chess quickly became his favourite. That's when we decided to place him under the guidance of Dibyendu Sir," she recalled.

His mother, however, prefers to stay anonymous for now. "We come from a lower-middle-class family and would rather avoid the limelight at this stage," she said. "This is his moment, and he deserves to be the one in focus. We'll be happy to share our names when he becomes a GM!"

"Till date, I don't know a single chess move. Maybe his father knows a bit more, but he hasn't managed to beat him even once," Sarkar's mother added.

She further said, "We're happy to support him quietly from behind and let him make his mark, wherever his interests lead him. There's no pressure on him; we just want him to enjoy himself. My time is fully devoted to him," she added.

"He absolutely loves watching GothamChess on YouTube, but his real hero is none other than Magnus Carlsen," his mother said. Barua, meanwhile, mentioned that they are trying to put him in the field of the upcoming Tata Steel Kolkata Chess where Carlsen has confirmed his participation.

The unheralded youngster's emergence comes as India witnesses an exciting era in chess, with young talents like Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and D Gukesh shines internationally. Gukesh, in fact, is set to lock horns with reigning champion Ding Liren for the World Championship in Singapore in November-December.

(With PTI inputs)