Vandan Alankar Sawai, a 15-year-old chess player from Delhi, pulled off a stunning victory over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz tournament. The teenager, however, treated one of the biggest wins of his young career with remarkable calm and did not immediately tell his parents or coach.
According to Times of India, Vandan, a Candidate Master with a FIDE classical rating of 2,288, defeated Carlsen, rated 2,823, in 50 moves at Chess.com’s Titled Tuesday event on August 18. Speaking about the game, the teenager said the huge rating gap did not weigh on him.
“I didn’t have anything to lose and everything to gain. I decided to play a comfortable game and opened with my usual pawn move e4 while playing with white pieces,” Vandan said.
His family discovered the result only later, with his father, former banker Alankar Sawai, finding the game while browsing Chess.com. His mother, Dr Madhuri Alankar Sawai, said Vandan had initially been reluctant to enter the tournament.
“My husband and I were at home when Vandan came and said he had played the tournament. When my husband asked, only then did Vandan say he had played against Carlsen and won. Vandan was reluctant to participate in the event. We forced him to play,” she said.
Vandan’s coach, Gurpreet Pal Singh, was also unaware of the upset until the following day. After facing Carlsen, the teenager played two more rounds and finished his four-game run with three wins and one defeat before calling it a night because he was tired.
FROM A RELUCTANT ENTRY TO A CARLSEN UPSET
Vandan was paired with Carlsen in the second round and stuck to his normal approach rather than being overawed by the name on the other side of the virtual board.
The game developed into a Giuoco Piano after Carlsen replied to 1.e4 with e5. In the five-minute contest, Vandan handled the clock well and gradually built pressure before a crucial error shifted the game decisively.
Carlsen’s king came under pressure from Vandan’s bishop and the Norwegian’s response allowed the teenager to gain material.
“I was shocked when he blundered,” Vandan said.
The Delhi youngster then controlled the simplified position and eventually forced Carlsen to resign on move 50. There was no extended celebration afterwards either, with Vandan simply continuing his tournament.
Singh, who has worked with the teenager for around seven years, described a player who is aggressive over the board but reserved away from it.
“I came to know about the game from Vandan’s father the next day. The boy is a bit reserved and will answer in a precise manner,” Singh said.
“Like all other young kids, he too is an aggressive player. He is a person of few words. He is not shy, but reserved.”
CHESS, SCHOOL AND LIFE BEYOND THE BOARD
Vandan’s interest in chess started at home. His mother had played with her brother and introduced him to the game when he was young.
“In my younger days, I played chess with my brother. So, I taught Vandan the game. He picked it up fast and started solving puzzles like mate in one/two moves,” Dr Madhuri said.
The family later brought him under Singh’s guidance to give his talent a more structured direction.
Chess is not his only interest. Vandan is also a strong student and enjoys reading about wars, while showing little interest in fiction or films. He is also not certain that chess will become his full-time profession.
For now, becoming an International Master is among his targets.
“I am not sure whether chess will be my full-time profession in the future as at this age players have become GMs. Perhaps I will look at history and somewhat towards political science,” Vandan said.
A victory over Carlsen would be enough to dominate most teenagers’ conversations for weeks. Vandan, though, appears to be taking a different route, quietly moving on to his next game.
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