It was an unusual Tuesday evening at the Sawai household in Delhi. Their 15-year-old son Vandan Alankar Sawai had played an online chess tournament, but there was no announcement, no excited phone call to friends and no dramatic celebration. In fact, Vandan had not even told his parents whom he had played.It was only when his father, former banker Alankar Sawai, logged into Chess.com that the family discovered what had happened: Vandan, a Candidate Master with a FIDE classical rating of 2,288, had defeated world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, rated 2,823, in 50 moves.According to the Indian Express and various media, the game was played in Chess.com’s weekly Titled Tuesday tournament on August 18, where leading titled players compete online. Chess.com’s game database records the 50-move win, with Vandan playing White and opening with 1.e4.“My husband and I were at home when Vandan came and said he had played the tournament,” Vandan’s mother, Dr Madhuri Alankar Sawai, told the media. “When my husband asked, only then did Vandan say he had played against Carlsen and won. Vandan was reluctant to participate in the event. We forced him to play.”That may be the most Vandan-like part of the story. Even after producing the biggest result of his young chess career, the teenager did not appear particularly interested in making a big deal out of it.
He had ‘nothing to lose’
Vandan was paired against Carlsen in the second round. The teenager says he did not feel overwhelmed by the name sitting across the virtual board. “I didn’t have anything to lose and everything to gain. I decided to play a comfortable game and opened with my usual pawn move e4 while playing with white pieces,” he says.The game moved into the Giuoco Piano after Carlsen responded with e5. According to an analysis of the game published by The Indian Express, Vandan managed his time well in the five-minute blitz encounter and gradually built pressure as the game progressed. The turning point came on move 26.Carlsen’s king came under attack from Vandan’s bishop. Instead of capturing the bishop, Carlsen moved his king, allowing Vandan to win material. The position eventually simplified into an endgame, but the teenager kept control and Carlsen resigned on move 50. “I was shocked when he blundered,” Vandan says. For a 15-year-old facing the strongest name in modern chess, it was a remarkably understated reaction.
He didn’t even tell his coach
Vandan was paired against Carlsen in the second round.
Vandan’s coach Gurpreet Pal Singh learnt about the victory only the following day. “I came to know about the game from Vandan’s father the next day. The boy is a bit reserved and will answer in a precise manner,” he says.Singh, himself a former National Junior Champion, has been working with Vandan for around seven years. “Like all other young kids, he too is an aggressive player,” Singh says. “He is a person of few words. He is not shy, but reserved.” That description fits the teenager’s response to the Carlsen victory. There was no attempt to turn the win into a declaration that he had arrived.After beating Carlsen, Vandan played two more rounds. He finished his four-round run with three wins and one loss before deciding to stop because he was tired. The Titled Tuesday event itself continued for 11 rounds. When asked whether his classmates at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Delhi believed that he had beaten Carlsen, Vandan’s answer was equally matter-of-fact. “Some believed me and some did not.”
Chess began with puzzles at home
Vandan’s introduction to chess was not part of some elaborate plan to produce a champion. His mother had played the game with her brother when she was younger. She taught Vandan the basics, and he quickly became interested. “In my younger days, I played chess with my brother. So, I taught Vandan the game. He picked it up fast and started solving puzzles like mate in one/two moves,” Dr Madhuri says.The family eventually realised that he needed more structured training. “We put him under Coach Gurpreet about seven years ago as a dedicated person is needed to nurture the talent further,” she adds.
A topper who reads about wars
Chess is only one part of Vandan’s life. He is also a class topper, managing schoolwork alongside training and tournaments. His interests outside chess are somewhat different from what one might expect from a teenager. He likes reading books about wars. Fiction does not interest him much, and neither do movies. And despite his latest victory, he is not convinced that chess will become his profession.For now, his immediate target is the International Master title. “I am not sure whether chess will be my full time profession in the future as at this age players have become GMs. Perhaps I will look at history and somewhat towards political science,” Vandan says.That uncertainty is notable in an age when many talented Indian youngsters decide early that chess is going to be their career. Vandan, instead, seems willing to keep both possibilities open.For Vandan, however, the bigger question remains what comes next. The 15-year-old has already beaten the world’s biggest name. And, perhaps most interestingly, he still hasn’t decided whether chess will be the road he takes as a career. For now, he appears happy to keep playing, studying and seeing where the next move takes him.
