Borivli lad Aansh flies high in world of chess

Aansh Nerurkar

Aansh Nerurkar, a student of the Borivli branch of Orchids The International School, recently aced the Futures category of the Prague International chess tournament. He thus became the first Indian to win in this category.

Aansh, a sixth grade student with 1786 FIDE points, started playing chess at the age of seven.

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"Winning this championship is surreal. It's a dream come true, and I wouldn't be here without the unwavering support of my parents, teachers, coach and Orchids The International School. A special thank you as well to the Czech Chess Federation, Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa, and the other incredible personalities who graced this event. Their presence made the finale even more special for me," said Aansh.

Aansh's remarkable performance saw him dominate the competition, scoring an impressive eight points out of nine rounds, including seven wins and two draws.

His performance earned him 132 FIDE rating points, bringing his overall ratings tally to 1786. He remained undefeated, competing against players like Brzezina Pawel (Poland, FIDE 1914) and Andre Tomas (Slovakia, FIDE 1915).

Armed with a current ELO rating of 2236, Aansh will eye glory in the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival to be held in August.

He would also be participating in the yet-to-be announced World Chess Championship.