A three-year-old chess prodigy from India, Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha, has become the youngest player in the sport’s history to earn an official rating from the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

“At just 3 years, 7 months, and 20 days old, Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha is the youngest player on the December 2025 FIDE rating list, debuting with a rapid rating of 1572,” FIDE said in a statement on Saturday.

According to The Indian Express, Kushwaha achieved this feat, beating highly-rated older players at different tournaments, including some where grandmasters participated, breaking the record held by Anish Sarkar since November 2024 at the age of three years, eight months and 19 days.

Kushwaha was born in 2022 to Mr Siddharth Singh and Ms Shruti Sing, who are from the Sagar district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where the youngster is also currently enrolled in a nursery school.

He reportedly started learning chess around the age of two-and-a-half, which was initially imposed on him by his parents to limit screen time on the phone and television. However, within weeks of starting chess lessons, Kushwaha was already able to name all the chess pieces and their moves.

Upon discovering that their son has a natural affinity for chess, his parents linked him up with coach Nitin Chaurasiya, with the duo spending at least approximately five hours daily on chess and at least one hour at a coaching centre in Sagar, as well as online practice and video study in an intensive training regime.

Kushwaha’s remarkable natural talent and dedication ensured that he debuted with a remarkable rating of 1572 this month, which is described as “well-above” typical entry-level threshold in chess at a tender age of three-year-old.

“We pushed him into chess last year because we noticed his mind was a sponge and he would pick up things very quickly. In a week of being taught chess, he could name all the pieces accurately,” his father said.

“He loves the sport a lot. If you wake him up in the middle of the night and ask him to play, he will for hours without a break. But what separates him from other kids his age is his patience to sit on the board and not get restless.”

His coach stated, “When his parents first approached me to train him last year, he looked like a very normal kid. But soon, his capability to play the game well started to shine. You ask him anything and there’s no hesitation in answering. He can also hold his own on the board against older kids. You can see his guts when he plays.”