Checkmite: Abhimanyu Mishra, 9, is youngest US chess master ever, and he loves to ‘crush’ opponents
Abhimanyu claimed the title once held by Bobby Fischer
The knights, bishops, and queens were wiped from the board.
“Checkmate,” said nine-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra as he moved on to the next of his eight opponents. Mishra rubbed his temples, leaned closer to the red-and-white board, and slid a piece across the surface before swiftly pressing the timer.
The room was silent on a recent morning as adults tapped on their phones on the sidelines. Every kid’s fate seemed sealed: They were bound to lose to Mishra, the youngest chess master in the US. One-by-one, his contenders bowed out and rushed off to their parents to replay the move that cemented their downfall.
Finally, Mishra was the last player standing. The simultaneous exhibition at the Kings and Queens Chess Academy in Piscataway was over. And Mishra emerged victorious – again.
In April, at age 9 years, 2 months and 17 days old, Mishra snagged the title of youngest ever US chess master during a tournament at the South Jersey Innovation Centre that is home to the South Jersey Chess Club. He’s also the highest rated nine-year-old player in the world.
“I was excited … I was hoping it was going to happen, and I ended up winning the game,” he said of beating a record once held by Bobby Fischer, the American grandmaster who famously beat Russian grandmaster Boris Spassky in the 1972 World Chess Championship.