Three-year-old chess player Anish Sarkar met chess star Magnus Carlsen on November 12th in Kolkata. Carlsen was impressed with Sarkar, who recently became the youngest-ever rated chess player.
"First of all, it's amazing to see the level he's at. My nephew is turning 4, he's a bright young child, but I don't see him getting a rating of 1500 anytime soon," Carlsen said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
"It is very impressive. Most of all, try to enjoy as much as you can. Don't think about ratings, results, titles, and so on. They will come automatically; just do what you love," he said.
The meeting happened before the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz tournament, taking place in Kolkata from November 13th to 15th.
Sarkar, from Kolkata, achieved a FIDE rating of 1555 after playing against five rated players. This made him the youngest chess player to achieve this rating.
Born on 26 January 2021, Anish made his debut in competitive chess at the West Bengal State Under-9 Open in October, securing an impressive 5.5 out of 8 points and finishing 24th overall, defeating two rated players – Arav Chatterjee and Ahilaan Baishya.
Earlier this year, Sarkar played against Indian chess player Arjun Erigaisi in a special exhibition match during the Bengal Rapid Rating Open. A week later, Anish tested his skills in the West Bengal State Under-13 Open, where he faced older, more experienced players.
