At 3 years & 7 months, Sarwagya becomes youngest chess player to get FIDE Rapid Rating

New Delhi: At an age when three-year-olds might not be able to tell the difference between a rook and a bishop, young Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha from Madhya Pradesh has achieved a unique distinction of becoming the youngest FIDE Rapid Rated player in the world.

At just three years, seven months and 13 days Sarwagya, who hails from Sagar in the north-central region of Madhya Pradesh, has a Rapid Rating of 1572 in the international chess federation's (FIDE) December rating list.

Sarwagya, whose journey into the sport began when his parents introduced him to chess to reduce his screen time, competed in his first Rapid Rating tournament -- the 24th RCC Rapid Rated Cup in Mangaluru -- in September where he beat a 1542-rated player.

He then went on to win against a 1559-rated opponent at the 2nd Shri Dadaji Dhuniwale Rapid Rating Open in October in Khandwa district in his state.

Last month, he competed in two rapid rating tournaments in the MP towns of Chhindwara and Indore where he beat the same 1542-rated player in the first event and a 1696-rated exponent in the next to earn his first rating.

In order to earn a FIDE rating, a player should beat at least one international players, but Sarwagya ended up beating three across tournaments.

In November last year, Anish Sarkar had become the world's youngest FIDE-rated player at the age of 3 years and 10 months.

The achievement adds to India's rising clout in the sport. D Gukesh is currently the world champion, while Divya Deshmukh is the women's World Cup winner.