Child prodigy, 8, makes history after beating 37-year-old chess grandmaster

21 February 2024 , 06:24

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Ashwath Kaushik, 7, has to use a booster cushion to reach the chess board

An eight-year-old child prodigy made history after beating a 37-year-old chess grandmaster.

Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player ever to beat a chess grandmaster in a classical tournament game on Sunday. Kaushik beat Jacek Stopa, 37, in the fourth round the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland - stunning audiences and chess fans across the world.

The previous record was only just set last month by then eight-year-old Leonid Ivanovic – who became the first player under the age of nine to beat a grandmaster in a classical game. However Ashwath was five months younger when he achieved his incredible feat.

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Ashwath Kaushik, 8, has to use a booster cushion to reach the chess board

After his win, Kaushik told Chess.com: "It felt really exciting and amazing, and I felt proud of my game and how I played, especially since I was worse at one point but managed to come back from that." The youngster, who lives in Singapore, was born in India in 2015. He started making waves in the chess world after winning a number of youth tournaments around the world – even becoming the World Under-8 Rapid champion in 2022.

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Two years ago, at the age of six, Kaushik clinched the gold medal in the under-8 category of the World Cadets and Youth Championship 2022 for Rapid and Blitz in Greece.

Ashwath’s father, Kaushik, told chess.com neither he or his wife have a history of playing chess and were surprised to discover their son was such a skilled player. The proud dad explained how his hard work has paid off with the young boy practicing around seven hours a day.Kaushik said: "It’s surreal as there isn’t really any sports tradition in our families. Every day is a new discovery, and we sometimes stumble in search of the right pathway for him."

Ashwath Kaushik has broken a world record

With this triumph, Ashwath, at the tender age of eight years, six months, and 11 days, became the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster in a classical tournament game.

He now joins a prestigious list of young talents who have beaten a grandmaster before the age of 10. Among them is GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, now a chess superstar ranked 15th in the world, who was aged nine years and seven months when he scored his first win.

Abigail O'Leary