A 15-year-old Indian chess player has pulled off a remarkable upset against five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, defeating the Norwegian great in 50 moves during Chess.com’s Titled Tuesday event. Vandan Alankar Sawai, rated 2,288, beat Carlsen, who entered the online tournament with a 2,823 rating, in the second round.
The teenager’s victory came as a major surprise even to those closest to him. Vandan had not told his parents about the result immediately, with his family discovering that he had defeated Carlsen only after asking him about the tournament.
Vandan played with the white pieces and approached the game without putting pressure on himself against the world’s highest-rated player.
Speaking to Rediff.com, Vandan explained that he felt he had little to lose against Carlsen and decided to stick to his usual approach.
“I didn’t have anything to lose and everything to gain. I decided to play a comfortable game and opened with my usual pawn move, e4, while playing with the white pieces,” Vandan said.
Carlsen responded with 1…e5, leading the game into the Giuoco Piano variation. The contest remained relatively even until the 26th move, when Carlsen made the decisive mistake.
With his king under pressure from Vandan’s bishop, Carlsen did not capture the attacking piece and instead moved his king, allowing Vandan to win material.
“I was shocked when he blundered,” Vandan said.
Vandan then converted his advantage and completed the upset in 50 moves.
Vandan’s Parents Were Not Even Aware He Had Played Carlsen
The victory was particularly unexpected because Vandan had initially been reluctant to participate in the tournament.
His mother, Dr Madhuri Alankar Sawai, told Rediff.com that the family only discovered what had happened after her husband asked Vandan about the event.
“Only after my husband asked did Vandan say he had played against Carlsen and won. Vandan was reluctant to participate in the event. We forced him to play,” she said.
Even Vandan’s coach, Gurpreet Pal Singh, was unaware of the result at the time. He said he found out about the game from Vandan’s father the following day.
The teenager is known for being reserved and generally keeps his responses brief, according to his coach.
Three Wins And One Loss In Titled Tuesday
Vandan did not continue playing throughout the entire event. He withdrew after the fourth round because he was feeling tired.
By that stage, he had recorded three wins and one defeat, with his victory over Carlsen standing out as the biggest result of the tournament for the young Indian.
The upset also underlines the gap between Vandan’s current rating and Carlsen’s established position at the top of the game. Vandan was rated 2,288, while Carlsen’s rating for the event was 2,823.
Vandan Sets His Sights On International Master Title
Despite the scale of his victory over one of chess’s greatest players, Vandan remains cautious about making long-term decisions about his career.
His immediate target is to become an International Master.
However, the 15-year-old is not yet certain whether chess will become his full-time profession. He is also interested in subjects outside the game, particularly history and political science.
“I am not sure whether chess will be my full-time profession in the future, as at this age many players have become GMs,” Vandan said.
For now, though, Vandan has a victory over Magnus Carlsen that will stand as one of the biggest moments of his young chess career. (APB)