New Delhi: A 15-year-old chess player from Delhi has pulled off a remarkable online victory over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, defeating the Norwegian star in 50 moves at Chess.com’s Titled Tuesday blitz tournament on August 18.
Teenager stays calm against Carlsen
Vandan Alankar Sawai, a Candidate Master with a FIDE classical rating of 2,288, faced Carlsen, rated 2,823, in the second round of the tournament.
Despite the huge rating difference, Vandan said he did not feel overwhelmed.
“I didn’t have anything to lose and everything to gain. I decided to play a comfortable game,” he said.
Playing with the white pieces, the teenager opened with his usual 1.e4. The game developed into a Giuoco Piano after Carlsen responded with e5.
A crucial mistake changes the game
The five-minute blitz encounter gradually turned in Vandan’s favour as he handled the clock well and built pressure on Carlsen’s position.
A crucial error by Carlsen allowed the teenager to gain material after the Norwegian’s king came under pressure from Vandan’s bishop.
“I was shocked when he blundered,” Vandan said.
Vandan then controlled the simplified position and eventually forced Carlsen to resign on move 50.
His family discovered the win later
Remarkably, Vandan did not immediately tell his parents or coach that he had defeated one of the greatest chess players in history.
His father, former banker Alankar Sawai, discovered the result while browsing Chess.com. His mother, Dr Madhuri Alankar Sawai, said Vandan had initially been reluctant to enter the tournament and that the family encouraged him to participate.
His coach, Gurpreet Pal Singh, also learnt about the upset only the following day.
After defeating Carlsen, Vandan continued playing, winning two more games and finishing his four-game run with three victories and one defeat before going to bed tired.
Chess began at home
Vandan’s mother introduced him to chess when he was young after playing the game with her brother.
She recalled that he quickly developed an interest in solving chess puzzles, particularly simple checkmate problems. The family later brought him under Singh’s guidance, who has coached him for around seven years.
Young player has ambitions beyond chess
Vandan is also a strong student and has a keen interest in history, particularly wars. He is considering political science and is not certain that chess will become his full-time profession.
For now, becoming an International Master is among his goals.
His victory over Carlsen is a significant achievement, but the teenager’s calm response makes the story even more striking. Rather than dwelling on the biggest win of his young career, Vandan simply continued his tournament and quietly moved on to his next game.