Little Master: 3-year-old Anish Sarkar becomes youngest rated chess prodigy

While most children of his age are absorbed in cartoons or simply playing with toys, young Anish Sarkar found his fascination in the quiet strategy of chess pieces, sparking a journey few could fathom. At just three years, eight months and 19 days, the kid from Kaikhali in north Kolkata on Friday became the youngest rated chess player in history.

Born on January 26, 2021, Anish made his debut in competitive chess with the West Bengal State Under-9 Open in October, securing an impressive 5.5 out of 8 points and finishing 24th overall after defeating two rated players.

He was also fortunate to get an opportunity to play against India No. 1 and world No. 4 Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi in a simultaneous exhibition match during the Bengal Rapid Rating Open.

Just a week later, Anish tested his skills again in the West Bengal State Under-13 Open. Though the event was challenging, it became a vital step in his journey, meeting the requirement of facing five rated players, ultimately earning him an initial FIDE rating of 1555, which was updated on Thursday.

In doing so, he surpassed the previous record set by Tejas Tiwari, who had become the youngest FIDE-rated player at five years, India’s second GM and Anish’s coach Dibyendu Barua said. “Anish definitely has potential but he has a long way to go,” Barua said.

Anish’s emergence comes as India witnesses an exciting era in chess, with young talents like Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh shining internationally.

“We’ve put him in a special group, where he trains for seven to eight hours,” said Barua. “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.”

With parents who had “zero knowledge of chess,” Anish’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 said.

“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 added.

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.

So who is his idol? “His hero is none other than Magnus Carlsen,” she 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.