India’s Divith Reddy Crowned U-8 World Champion

In a remarkable achievement for Indian chess, eight-year-old Divith Reddy from Hyderabad has emerged as the champion in the Under-8 World Cadets Chess Championship. Held amidst fierce competition, Divith secured a stellar 9/11 points to clinch the gold medal, edging out compatriot Sattwik Swain on tie-break scores. This victory adds to India’s growing dominance in junior chess, showcasing the nation’s promising future in the global chess arena.

Tournament Results

• Champion: Divith Reddy (India, Telangana) – 9/11 points, secured gold on tie-break.
• Runner-up: Sattwik Swain (India) – 9/11 points, silver medal.
• Third Place: Ziming Guo (China) – 9/11 points, bronze medal.

Divith’s Journey to Victory

• Started strong with four consecutive wins.
• Faced setbacks with two consecutive losses midway.
• Made a remarkable comeback, winning the final five matches.

Opponents included top-rated players like,

• Wiktor Stankowski (Poland)
• Nurali Nurshin (Kazakhstan)
• Zhihan Xu (Samuel) (Canada)
• Aiden Linyuan Li (USA, FIDE rating 1877)
• Rizat Ulan (Kazakhstan, FIDE rating 1783)

Tactical Brilliance

• Demonstrated resilience in tough positions.
• Utilized innovative tactics to secure crucial wins.
• Received praise from India’s coach, IM Abhishek Kelkarn, for his strategic prowess.

India’s Chess Dominance

• India continues to shine in junior and global chess events.

Notable recent achievements

• Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s success on the global stage.
• D Gukesh competing against World Champion Ding Liren.
• Divith’s win reinforces India’s status as a chess powerhouse.

World Youth Chess Championship

Organizer

• The championship is organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Purpose

• A global chess competition for boys and girls in various age categories.

Age Categories

• Boys and girls under the ages of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 compete separately.

Annual Titles

• Twelve world champions are crowned every year across the categories.

Event Split

Since 2015, the event has been divided into,

• World Cadets Chess Championship (U8, U10, U12).
• World Youth Chess Championship (U14, U16, U18).