It’s upto Anish whether or not he wants to pursue chess in the future, says his mother

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At three years and ten months, Anish Sarkar, a lower nursery student from north Kolkata might need a stack of four chairs to be visible to his opponent, but has already achieved a major feat by becoming the youngest-ever rated chess player to score a FIDE ranking of 1555. His mother R Sarkar shares with us how they discovered his interest, how he is reacting to the media glare, his favourite chess players and more.

‘Anish loves chess just like he loves his toy cars’
It all began when Anish’s father bought him a chess board as a Pujo gift last year, reveals R Sarkar. “We got it for him as we realised his love for this game, and that he is old enough to not put the pawns in his mouth. He loves it just the way he loves his toy cars, she says, adding, “He can watch chess on YouTube or the TV for hours at a time, and enjoys a game to himself as none of us know anything about chess at home.”

‘Let Anish focus on the game and stay away from media glare’
Staying away from the media glare is important for Anish, especially in his formative years, believes his parents and his mentor. “He has taken part in competitions, where he ranked 4th in district level chess tournament for North 24 Parganas (under 7) and 8th in under 7 chess tournaments for West Bengal. He has a long way to go,” says the mother. She further reveals, “When not practising, one can find Anish roaming around in his teachers’ laps.”

‘Anish is extremely observant by nature’
Even though Anish loves his playtime with friends, he is usually a bit quiet for his age and observant by nature. His mother reveals, “We make it a point to keep Anish away from technology. He keeps himself busy by receiving packages from the delivery executive, and helps me with household chores in little ways. He has an inherent sense of responsibility and is also a perfectionist by nature.”



Box: ‘Anish wants chicken biryani if he wins, and mutton biryani if he loses’
Anish understands that in a game, one has to accept both victory and defeat. “If he wins a game at the academy, he comes out and says, ‘Mumma, win!’, and if he loses, he says, ‘Mumma, beaten’ in the same tone. But, he usually rewards himself with chicken biryani if he wins, and eats mutton biryani if he loses. It’s a party for him, no matter what the outcome is,” says R Sarkar.

“Anish is too young to become a champion. To us, participation is more important than winning. We never realised he has created history. Coming from a humble background, we want to keep Anish away from the media glare”

“When Anish sees his picture in the newspaper, he comes up to us and says, ‘My photo!, and when he sees himself on TV, he just glances once and says, ‘Ami toh!’. That’s it; he is unfazed by the media attention”
“It’s Anish’s choice whether or not he will pursue chess in the future. We will help him fulfil his dreams in all ways possible, but never pressurise him.”



“I am busy practicing how to write ‘S’ in capitals. My most favourite chess player is Anish Kumar Giri as we both share the same name"- Anish



Anish has a knack for Mathematics, and already knows his tables by heart
Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren and Alireza Firouzja are some of Anish’s favourite chess players
One can find Anish having dudh-ruti, French fries and chicken curry with rice, when not eating biryani





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