Abhimanyu Mishra, an Indian-origin American, has become the world's youngest-ever chess Grandmaster after months of uncertainty caused by the pandemic, combined with a budget shortage travelling throughout the world in these terrible times
He broke Sergey Karjakin's record of 12 years, four months, and 25 days, which he had held since he was 12 years and seven months old when he won the title. Three years ago, India's R Praggnanandhaa was on the verge of passing him, but he missed by a whisker.
After becoming the world's youngest International Master last year, Abhimanyu pursued his quest and accomplished it at the Vezerkepzo GM Mix in Budapest, a tournament organised solely to offer him one last chance at the title, while other chess players stayed back due to travel restrictions. Since April, Abhimanyu has been in Budapest, Hungary, in search of the record.
He destroyed him in a no time. I thought I was witnessing the making of history. I quickly realised he's not your average guy — in a good way. Everything he sees is etched in his mind. He recalls moves from 2014 and 2015 games. Everything is absorbed by his mind.”
In April and May, he had earned the first and second GM norms, but the third remained distant as time passed and fewer events loomed on the horizon. For this competition, he had to wait until mid-July for another chance at the record.
For those around him, those were trying times. One of his coaches at the Kings and Queens Academy in New Jersey, where he perfected his game as a quiet but eager boy, was GM Magesh Chandran. “We don't talk on a daily basis, but I keep an eye on him, follow each of his games, and occasionally offer guidance when he comes here.
Rapid progress
Abhimanyu began playing chess when he was two and a half years old, thanks to his father Hemant, who works in data management. By the age of five, he had beaten his father and was competing in local tournaments, where he began to defeat players twice his age. Arun Prasad, another instructor, recalls another event. “He was nine years old when he was matched against a 70-year-old veteran opponent.
Abhimanyu's fame grew, and he began travelling at the age of seven, when he became the youngest national champion and, at the age of nine, the youngest National Master in the United States.
His family, however, had to dig deep into their pockets due to the lack of corporate sponsorships. Hemant once told the New Jersey Post, "Whatever people spend on college tuition, we have already put on chess." For their trip to Hungary, he has a GoFundMe website, where they have gathered about USD 16,000.
But they're starting to see the fruits of their labour, as Abhimanyu is not only smashing records and racking up ELO points at a rapid pace, but he's also defeating seasoned Grandmasters along the way. In March, he defeated Vladimir Belous, rated 2521, in Charlotte Springs, North Carolina, in just 19 moves. Later, in the first event in Budapest, he defeated top seed Vojtech Plat with ease, playing an excellent game.
My husband and Abhimanyu are generally travelling while I stay with my younger daughter, so it's been difficult for the family, but this reward is greater than anything,” Abhimanyu's mother Swati Sharma said from New Jersey.
Abhimanyu belongs to a select group of people. All but Karjakin of the previous five youngest Grandmasters — Tigran Petrosian (23) to Boris Spassky (18), then Bobby Fischer (15), Judit Polgar (15), and Karjakin — went on to become world champions, indicating that the 12-year-journey old's is just getting started, and the youngest GM record is just another milestone on his path.