An 8-year-old boy made history by defeating a chess grandmaster in a classical tournament game in Switzerland.
Ashwath Kaushik, who lives in Singapore, accomplished the impossible by defeating Poland's Jacek Stopa, 37, in the fourth round of the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland.
The previous record was only set last month by then-eight-year-old Leonid Ivanovic, who became the first player under nine to defeat a grandmaster in a classical game. Still, Ashwath was five months younger than the Serbian when he defeated Stopa, according to 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,” Kaushik told Chess.com after beating Stopa.
Born in India in 2015, Ashwath has already established a name for himself by winning several youth competitions worldwide, most notably earning the World Under-8 Rapid champion in 2022, according to Chess.com.
He finished 12th in this week's event in Switzerland, and there are high expectations for the teenager as he competes against opponents with decades of experience.
In an interview with Chess.com, Ashwath's father stated that neither he nor his wife had any chess experience and that it surprised him to see his son, who he claims practices seven hours a day, develop into such a strong player.
"It's odd because our families don't have a strong sporting background. Every day is a new discovery, and we occasionally stumble in our search for the best path for him," his father, Kaushik Sriram, told Chess.com.
