Meet Ashwath Kaushik, the 8-year-old chess prodigy who defeated a grandmaster in classical play in 2024

At eight years old Ashwath Kaushik did something that many chess players spend years trying to do. The Indian-born child, who lives in Singapore beat a grandmaster in a chess game and made history in February 2024. His win against Poland's Jacek Stopa at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open, in Switzerland made him the youngest player ever to beat a grandmaster in chess at that point in time. What makes his success more special is that he started learning chess when he was four years old. The information is taken from Chess.com and Reuters.

Ashwath's success has drawn attention to his talent, his family's support and tremendous amounts of hard work and hours of practice behind his rapid rise.

How did Ashwath Kaushik make chess history?

Ashwath made history at the 22nd Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland. During the fourth round, he defeated 37-year-old grandmaster Jacek Stopa, breaking a record set just a month earlier by Serbian player Leonid Ivanovic.

Ivanovic had become the first player under nine to defeat a grandmaster in a classical tournament game. Although both boys were eight, Ashwath was nearly five months younger when he achieved the feat.

According to Chess.com Ashwath was eight years, six months and 11 days when he won the game.


The young boy said he was very happy, with the way he played the game after getting into a spot.

"It felt really exciting and amazing, and I felt proud of my game and how I played, especially since I was worse at one point but managed to come back from that," Ashwath told Chess.com.

His performance was impressive, but the tournament was not over after that win. Ashwath eventually finished 12th among 127 participants after losing his final game to International Master Harry Grieve.

How did Ashwath discover his talent for chess

Ashwath's chess journey began when he was four. His father, Kaushik Sriram, told Chess.com that the boy initially learned the game through ChessKid and started playing with his grandparents.

"He picked it up on his own, playing with his grandparents," his father said.

Neither parent played chess, making the youngster's progress a surprise for the family. His father said they were learning how to support his development as his skills became clearer.



"It's surreal as there isn't really any sports tradition in our families. Every day is a new discovery, and we sometimes stumble in search of the right pathway for him."

Ashwath had already shown his ability before his record-breaking win. In 2022, he won the World Under-8 Rapid Championship. He also earned three gold medals in the Under-8 category at the Eastern Asian Youth Championship that year.

His father said the international results helped the family understand how well Ashwath could perform against young players from other countries.

The training behind the young chess star

Ashwath's achievements come with plenty of practice. According to Chess.com he spends much, as seven hours every day working on chess and solving puzzles.

His father has said that he has a memory. Ashwath can solve positions by imagining the board and he recently finished grandmaster Jacob Aagaards Grandmaster series without using a real board.

The youngster also receives guidance from experienced coaches. Kevin Goh Wei Ming, chief executive of the Singapore Chess Federation, has praised his tactical ability. Ashwath is part of Singapore's Under-14 squad, where grandmasters Thomas Luther and Andrey Kvon are among the coaches working with the group.

Goh said Ashwath's tactical skills had developed through extensive practice, while his coaches were also working to improve his strategic understanding.

He also praised the family's approach to supporting the boy without placing too much pressure on him.

"His family is extremely supportive and also does not put excessive pressure on him—letting the boy pursue his own targets. We are proud of Ashwath, but also do not set any targets for him and let him grow at his own pace. Him breaking this world record is simply a bonus."

Ashwath's record has placed him among a growing group of young chess talents who are achieving major results at increasingly early ages. Chess.com has also highlighted the achievements of players such as Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Abhimanyu Mishra, who defeated grandmasters before turning 10.

What does Ashwath want to achieve next

Despite his early success, Ashwath has ambitious goals for the future. In an interview with a Singaporean newspaper, he said he hoped to earn the candidate master title and eventually reach a rating of 2700 by playing attacking chess, like his idol, grandmaster Mikhail Tal.

His biggest ambition is even clearer.

When asked whether he planned to continue competing, Ashwath replied: “Yes, till I become the world champion.”

For now, his record-breaking victory remains a major milestone in a journey that began with casual games against his grandparents. With his family's support, regular training and growing experience against strong opponents, the young player has already given the chess world a reason to watch his progress.