Chess is a game of strategy. Each piece has multiple places it can go, with multiple outcomes. One wrong move and the game can end as quickly as it began. It is not a game often taken lightly. So when a grandmaster at chess was recently beaten – the world took notice.
After all, it was an 8-year-old who took home the top prize and shattered records. Ashwath Kaushik from Singapore defeated Poland’s Jacek Stopa, 37. Stopa was considered a grandmaster due to having the highest ranking in chess. Ashwath’s win broke the record set by a Serbian child, who is five months older than Kaushik.
“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,” Ashwath said. He should be proud – in the history of classical chess, there have been only 12 players younger than age 10 that have defeated a grandmaster.
Ashwath Kauskik at a chess tournament. Photo courtesy of the Kaushkik family
“It’s a classical contest, and I am very happy about the results,” Ashwath said. The game saw the unlikely duo exchanging words, and then on the 13th move Stopa offered a draw for the game. However, the young boy declined and after a simple mistake by the grandmaster, Ashwath swooped in and secured what can be considered the greatest victory of his young career.
Despite their elation, Ashwath and his family had little time to savor the victory as he had another match to play soon after.
We had a brief celebration after the game, but he had to immediately concentrate, so we didn’t have much time,” said his mom, Rohini Ramachandran.
The record-setting Ashwath started the Switzerland chess tournament ranked No. 59 out of 127 players. The young boy ended in 12th place, having lost his final game to Harry Grieve, whose rank is an international master — the second-highest stature in chess ratings.
His father, who doesn’t play chess, said Ashwath began learning chess when he was only four-years-old with the ChessKid website. ChessKid’s sole purpose is to teach children how to play the game. “He picked it up on his own, playing with his grandparents, (as well),” Sriram Kaushik said.
Now, the 8-year-old spends up to seven hours each day studying and playing chess. “It’s surreal as there isn’t really any sports tradition in our families,” Sriram said. “Every day is a new discovery, and we sometimes stumble in search of the right pathway for him.”
His win was praised by the CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation, Kevin Goh. “A lot of stars need to be aligned. Dad is super supportive, boy is dedicated, school allows flexibility and, of course, he has natural talent. It remains to be seen how far he can go as interests can change as the boy gets older. Still, we are hopeful,” Goh said.
He needs a booster cushion to reach the other side of the board.”
The feisty Ashwath said his ultimate goal is to become a Super Grandmaster. “The goal is to get to a 2,000+ ELO rating soon to get my Candidate Master title. And then become a Super Grandmaster (2,700+ rating) by playing attacking chess,” he said.
Ashwath knows how good his competition has been, but he also is savoring his win. “It’s always an incredible feeling to beat the world’s best in the business,” he said. What an amazing win for such a talented young boy. Watch below to see his record-setting win!
