KOCHI: Kerala’s chess sensation Nihal Sarin has created history by becoming the world’s third youngest player to attain the International Master title, which hypothetically is just a level below the highest title in the board game, the Grandmaster. Aged 12 years and eight months, Thrissur lad Nihal is quite naturally Kerala’s youngest to the attain the title and is only behind, now Super GM Sergey Karjakin and the phenomenal R. Praggnanandhaa, of Tamil Nadu, who also holds the world record since last June for securing the title at the age of 10.
Incidentally, he has taken out World Champion Magnus Carlsen from the third position (12 years and nine months). The Norwegian superstar and his most recent World Championship challenger Karjakin where the two youngest IMs in the world since 2003 before the arrival of Praggnanandhaa. Nihal, who is a Class VII student of Devamatha CMI Public School in Thrissur is only Kerala’s fourth IM after G.N. Gopal, K. Rathnakaran and S.L. Narayanan. The latter, a GM now, had previously held the distinction of being the state's youngest IM, aged 15.
As mandated by world chess governing body Fide, Nihal completed his third and final norm at the Aeroflot Open-B in Moscow that concluded on March 1, scoring a commendable 5.5 points out of 9, including wins over two Grandmasters. He had attained his maiden IM norm at the Cappelle la Grande Open in France last year and scored his second in Sunway Siges Open in Spain. Nihal, who also received the 'National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement 2016' from President Pranab Mukherjee, has been taking chess lessons from former state champion E.P. Nirmal also trains under Ukrainian GM Dmitri Komarov.
