Delhi-based chess infant prodigy Aarini Lahoty (6) — the world’s youngest Fédération Internationale des Echecs (FIDE)-rated player across all chess formats with a classical rating of 1553 in September (2025) — has joined India’s growing league of rightly celebrated young chess champions. 

Aarini made her competitive debut at five years seven months during the Delhi State Chess Championship held in April where she participated in the Under-11, U-9 and U-7 girls’ categories. More recently in July, she competed in Assam’s 1st University International Open FIDE Rated Chess Tournament 2025, finishing second in the classical format in the U-8 girls’ category. Soon thereafter, little Aarini was recognised as the ‘Youngest Female Chess Player in the Tournament,’ and awarded her first official classical FIDE rating of 1553. Weeks later in Delhi at the 2nd Maharathi Open Rapid FIDE Rated Chess tournament, Aarini was awarded her first official Rapid (1550) and Blitz (1498) ratings.

Introduced to this intense mind sport by her father Surendar, himself a former FIDE rated player and founder of Delhi’s Indus Global Sports Foundation Chess Academy, this tiny chess champ is a class I student of Delhi’s Bluebells International School. “Aarini took to the chessboard as soon as she started walking. Unlike children her age, she learned by watching me teach my students online during the Covid pandemic. Soon after, she started setting up her chess board independently and moving chess pieces around. Recognising her aptitude for the game, I decided to teach her the basics of chess together with life lessons on winning and losing,” recalls father Surendar.

“Since her debut in competitive chess early this year with full school support, I have encouraged her to compete in open category chess tournaments to ensure maximum learning. Our goal is to ensure Aarini plays freely for enjoyment with no compulsion to win,” adds Surendar.

However although only six years of age, Aarini follows a disciplined weekly routine — committing three hours daily after school to rigorous practice at daddy’s academy under guidance of delighted mentors and coaches. Moreover, she invests time watching recordings of former world chess champions on YouTube.

Chess aficionados worldwide would do well to track this young prodigy likely to scale great heights in this exciting mind game.

Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru)