Indian prodigy FM Aarit Kapil has taken another major step toward the international master title, scoring his second norm with a round to spare before going on to win a round-robin tournament in Serbia ahead of three GMs and three IMs.
Extraordinary results from increasingly young prodigies have become almost routine in modern chess, but Aarit added another distinction to his growing list of achievements: at just 10 years old, he not only scored a norm—he won a tournament ahead of several grandmasters and international masters.
It has been just four months since Chess.com reported on the 10-year-old securing his first IM norm, as one of the youngest ever to do so. Even before that breakthrough, he came close to defeating none other than GM Magnus Carlsen in Titled Tuesday, ultimately settling for a draw.
Now the New Delhi prodigy has done it again. At the Rudar XXXVA GM Round Robin in Serbia, Aarit went unbeaten to score a 2527 performance. His three wins came against GM Momchil Nikolov (2421), GM Radoslav Dimitrov (2489), and IM Kirill Klukin (2400), while six draws completed a result that also saw him finish first in a field featuring three grandmasters and three international masters.
Aarit had already secured the norm with a round to spare. He raced to 3.5/4 after beating Klukin, Nikolov, and Dimitrov, then made four consecutive draws to reach the required mark after eight rounds. A final-round draw took him to 6/9 and sealed the tournament victory.
“I was very happy, as I was just playing my natural game. And God is very kind,” Aarit told Chess.com. He also expressed gratitude for the support from his coaches, school, and sponsors.Â
I was very happy, as I was just playing my natural game. And God is very kind.
—Aarit Kapil
Aarit’s win against Klukin was impressive, as he outplayed his opponent from start to finish.
His win against Nikolov was far more balanced.
This was Aarit’s fifth consecutive tournament in Serbia this summer. Ahead of scoring his second IM norm, he dropped 25 rating points when he scored 2.5/9 and finished last in another closed round-robin tournament that qualified for GM and IM norms.Â
At the Serbia Open Masters earlier in July, he scored 6/9 and finished 30th with a 2316 performance. For Aarit, his second IM norm was a huge turnaround and yet another reminder of how quickly his level can change—a quality his coach GM Srinath Narayanan highlighted when Chess.com spoke to him earlier this year.
“Players of his level of talent tend to improve at a rapid pace, almost like they are getting better every day,” Srinath said after Aarit’s first IM norm. “I won’t be surprised to see him become a GM in the next two to three years.”
Aarit became one of the youngest players ever to earn an IM norm at the Menorca Open in April, when he scored 5/9 with a 2453 performance.Â
As Unstoppable_Aarit he also became the youngest player to ever reach a 3000 blitz rating on Chess.com. He recently set a personal high by hitting 3100, also becoming the youngest to reach that mark.
The result leaves Aarit with two of the three norms required for the IM title. He will still need a third norm and to reach the 2400 rating requirement before the title can be awarded. So there’s still a long way to go, but he’s certainly edging closer to the target.
Just one day after finishing Rudar GM 35, Aarit began another nine-round closed tournament in Serbia in a field that includes three GMs and four IMs. The 10-year-old started well with draws against a GM and IM, but lost in round three. The event runs August 8-15 and has an average rating of 2404. He will get no time to rest, as he will also take part in the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival on August 15-23.
That gives the 10-year-old immediate opportunities to chase the third and final norm he needs. Aarit’s father, Vijay Kapil, says his son does not get tired of playing. “Chess is his first love,” Vijay told Chess.com. “And he enjoys playing. That’s why he does not get tired of chess.”