India's Aarit Kapil Nearly Beats Magnus Carlsen in Blitz Chess: Who's This Young Chess Prodigy?

Magnus Carlsen is the current king of chess right now, but it's only a matter of time before young chess players show up and beat him.

India's nine-year-old prodigy Aarit Kapil nearly beat him in a fiery online blitz match on Tuesday. The match was played during the Early Titled Tuesday tourney on Chess.com.

Although Kapil was on the verge of defeating the world no. 1, the match ended with a draw after 49 moves. Though in command of the game, a time deficit compelled Aarit to draw after 49 moves.

Who is Aarit Kapil?

India's Aarit Kapil Nearly Beats Magnus Carlsen

Aarit Kapil, a Candidate Master (CM), has proven himself to be quite a force in the chess world. A Candidate Master designation is awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to a player who has gained a classical rating of 2200 or who has shown significant performance in continental or national championships.

At present, Aarit achieves a classical FIDE rating of 2078, an incredible feat for one as young as nine years old.

Aarit Kapil started playing chess only four years ago, when his older sister, Aarna, introduced the game to him. Within no time, he had the basics of chess under his belt and soon started winning against family members, including his laid-back player father, Vijay.

Aarit's parents saw his potential and made him take a coach. Working with International Master Vishal Sareen, Aarit practiced hard, spending five to six hours a day on it.

In 2024, Aarit created history when he became the youngest Indian and third youngest player in the world to beat a Grandmaster in a classical game. He did this phenomenal task by beating Raset Ziatdinov of the USA at the KIIT International Open held in Bhubaneswar, establishing himself as an emerging talent in chess circles.

India is becoming a quick spot for homegrown talents in chess. Gukesh Dommaraju, the highest-rated Indian chess player, defeated Carlsen in his first classical game in the Norway Chess 2025 tournament in June.

Aarit Kapil's Close Win is Impressive

Five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen is considered by many to be the best chess player ever. With a classical FIDE rating of 2837, Carlsen's career-high rating of 2882 stands as the highest ever. Carlsen's supremacy in the chess world is unmatched, so Aarit Kapil's close win is all the more remarkable.

Aarit's devotion to chess is second to none. As told by his father, Vijay, as reported by The Indian Express via Firstpost, Aarit spends most of his time playing chess and is not interested in anything else.

"Only chess, nothing else," Vijay said in Hindi. Even after losing a tough competition, Aarit is steadfast. When his family teased him jokingly about leaving chess after a tough competition, Aarit answered in Hindi: "Do whatever you can, I won't stop playing chess."