Born on January 26, 2021 in Kolkata, 3-year-old Anish Sarkar has established himself as the youngest rated chess player in history, securing an initial FIDE rating of 1555. The youngster made his maiden appearance in competitive Chess with the West Bengal state Under 9-open in October and rose through the ranks quickly through some impressive performances.
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Playing in the Under 9-open in October, Sarkar secured an astonishing rating of 5.5 out of 8 points, thereby finishing 24th overall by defeating a couple of rated players in Arav Chatterjee and Ahilan Baishya. The Bengal Rapid Rating Open also saw Sarkar get an opportunity to play World No.4 Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi.
Anish Sarkar.
3 years & 8 months old.
The youngest ever FIDE rated player.
A 1555 rating
At the age of 69 I think I play at a level of 1500.
I better play him while I can still keep up for a few moves..!#IndianChess
Anish Sarkar rating. pic.twitter.com/JbErEwKVUD— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) November 2, 2024
A week later, Sarkar competed in the West Bengal State U-13 Open, facing older and experienced players. He faced five rated players and eventually earned a FIDE rating points of 1555. Sarkar left behind Tejas Tiwari, who held the previous record of being the youngest FIDE-rated player at five years.
"He trains for 7 to 8 hours" – Dibyendu Barua on Anish Sarkar
Former Grand Master and Sarkar's coach Dibyendu Barua revealed that the youngser's coach is astonishing to the point that he refuses to get up from the table once sat down. Barua told PTI:
"He reminds me of Mitrabha Guha. Anish definitely has potential, but he has a long, long way to go. We've put him in a special group, where he trains for 7 to 8 hours. Sometimes he even comes to my home to play and once he sits down at the board, he simply won't get up. His focus is truly astounding."