Anish Sarkar becomes the youngest FIDE-rated champion on Friday, with an amazing Elo rating of 1555. At the age of three years, eight months, and 19 days, he became a young FIDE-rated chess player. Anish debuted at the inaugural All Bengal Rapid Rating Open 2024, scoring an impressive 5 points in 11 games. Only a few weeks later, Anish was given the incredible opportunity to compete against Grand Master Ravi Erigaisi, India’s top player and European number four, in a quick rating match.
He did not initially qualify, but a last-minute opportunity allowed him to compete as a substitute. The slip of luck put Anish in the fast lane and exposed him to high-level competition, which fuels his drive to obtain his first official grade.
Following his match with Erigaisi, Anish faced another challenging battle in the West Bengal State Under-9 Open Rating 2024, where he received an amazing 5.5 out of 8 and finished 24th out of 140 competitors.
He demonstrated his perseverance by defeating two ranked rivals in the final rounds, which was an impressive performance given his age and experience. Anish played in additional rated tournaments to achieve the official FIDE rating requirements. During his trips, West Bengal State received 13 Open Ratings in 2024.