Meet Anish Sarkar, world's youngest FIDE-rated chess player at 3 years

India's remarkable journey with exceptionally young chess talent continues. Anish Sarkar from West Bengal has redefined the term prodigy by becoming the youngest rated player of all time at the age of 3 years, 8 months, and 19 days.

Sarkar made his tournament debut before reaching three and a half years of age, even facing off against India's top-ranked Grandmaster, Arjun Erigaisi, in a simultaneous match. This led to him achieving his first Elo rating of 1555, as confirmed on Friday, November 1, 2024, as reported by ChessBase India.

Born on January 26, 2021, Sarkar participated in the West Bengal State Under-9 Open and the West Bengal State Under-13 Open tournaments in October. In the under-9 tournament, he scored 5.5 points out of a possible eight, finishing in 24th place out of 140 participants. During this event, his debut in a classical tournament, the young prodigy defeated two rated players in the final two rounds: Arav Chatterjee (1551) and Ahilaan Baishya (1442).

Despite facing defeat against both rated players in the recent under-13 event, Sarkar's performance was enough to earn him a FIDE (International Chess Federation) rating. This achievement has propelled him past his compatriot Tejas Tiwari, making him the youngest player in the world to hold a FIDE rating. Tiwari previously held this title in 2023 when he became a FIDE-rated player at the age of five.

In many videos capturing Sarkar's appearances at chess tournaments, he can be seen perched on a stack of chairs in order to reach the chessboard, creating a captivating image. One particular video showcases the three-year-old playing against three Grandmasters, including Barua and Surya Sekhar Ganguly, all while maintaining his balance on the chairs as his coach, Barua, playfully pinches his cheek.

Born into a lower-middle-class family with parents who had no prior 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.

"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.

The emergence of the unheralded youngster is a testament to the exciting era of chess currently unfolding in India. Young talents such as Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and D Gukesh are shining on the international stage. Gukesh, in particular, is poised to face off against reigning champion Ding Liren in the World Championship in Singapore this November-December.

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