Ep - 25: Aarit vs Carlsen: A 9-Year-Old Shocks the Chess World

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

H1: Welcome to Chess Times - A Chess Gaja Podcast. We’re back with all the action from the chess world over the past week!

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Let’s dive in—it's been another thrilling seven days in chess!

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

In a sensational feat, nine‑year‑old Aarit Kapil, from Delhi, held World No 1 Magnus Carlsen to a draw in an online blitz game during ‘Early Title Tuesday’. Remarkably, Aarit was winning but flagged on time. Aarit is a prodigy to watch out for the future!

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

That’s incredible for a player who started chess just four years ago. Such stories highlight India’s growing chess dominance.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

India’s R. Praggnanandhaa overtook reigning World Champion D Gukesh in the live FIDE ratings — a historic milestone .

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

A clear sign of rising competition – as Arjun,Gukesh and Pragg the Indian prodigies keep changing on who is India's Number-1. Fascinating shift.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

In London, the FIDE World Rapid Team Championship title was clinched by TeamMGD1, led by Arjun Erigaisi. WR Chess Team then defended their Blitz title—though a quarter final victory came after a timing controversy involving Germany .

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Plus, 19‑year‑old Divya Deshmukh from Nagpur defeated Women's World No 1 Hou Yifan in Blitz for Hexamind, earning praise from PM Modi and state leaders

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

The Norway Chess super‑tournament in Stavanger (May 26–June 6) wrapped withMagnus Carlsen winning his seventh title, Anna Muzychuk winning the women's section.Carlsen held off a challenge from Gukesh and Caruana in dramatic fashion .

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Earlier in the event, Carlsen beat Gukesh in the opening round using the unusual Jobava London; Arjun Erigaisi also took down Wei Yi in an Armageddon tiebreak .

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

A Financial Times analysis revisited Jim Slater’s 1970s patronage that fostered UK chess growth. Despite online popularity (8.9 m UK members on Chess.com), England now has no top‑50 players and few top‑100s. The article suggests new incentives to revive youth titles .

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

A reminder that infrastructure and funding are critical—talent alone isn’t enough.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Magnus passed the 2900 rating milestone in freestyle chess, marking a new standard.He jokingly said his wife found him more attractive as a result!

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Carlsen continues to dominate both officially and in these unofficial formats—fueling interest in freestyle play.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

In a surprising twist, Carlsen hinted he might return to classical world title contention—saying “Maybe one last time” when referring to challenging Gukesh. He hasn’t ruled out entering the next Candidates cycle .

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

The Cairns Cup wrapped June 20; Carissa Yip won ahead of Alice Lee, with India’s Harika Dronavalli finishing third .

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

And the 2025 Grand Chess Tour continues through October, currently led in points by Maxime Vachier‑Lagrave, with Praggnanandhaa topping prize earnings at US$102K .

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Alright, I think that's a wrap for this week. We've got nine-year-olds drawing Carlsen, Indian prodigies trading places at the top, team drama in London, and Carlsen breaking records—again. It's been a wild week in chess.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Bye, everyone!