Aansh Nerurkar first Indian to win in future category of Prague Intl Chess Festival

Eleven-year-old Aansh Nerurkar has become the first Indian to win in the future category of the Prague International Chess Festival alongside securing the best team award with GM R Praggnanandhaa.

Nerurkar scored eight points from nine rounds which included seven wins and two draws, earning 132 FIDE rating points and taking his tally to 1786.

He remained undefeated while competing against Poland’s Brzezina Pawel (FIDE 1914) and Andre Tomas from Slovakia (FIDE 1915).

Nerurkar also qualified to get the lifetime title of Candidate Master (CM) from FIDE in the upcoming months. He has a record of 163 wins, 47 draws and 68 losses in his journey so far, a release said.

The tournament was conducted by the Czech Chess Federation under the European Chess Federation, which is affiliated to FIDE.

The future category featured 10 players from across the world and followed a round-robin format, with participants selected based on FIDE ratings and age criteria.

Nerurkar, who began playing chess at the age of seven and studies in the sixth standard at Orchids The International School, won the gold medal in the National U-11 Chess Championship in Vishakhapatnam in 2023, having previously clinched the bronze in the National U-10 Championship in Jammu.

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Also, in 2023, Nerurkar won the gold medal in the Maharashtra Chess Rapid Chess Championship held in Mumbai.