At just 8 and a half years old, Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster in classical chess.⁠ ⁠ Ashwath, born in India and residing in Singapore, clinched victory against 37-year-old Polish grandmaster (GM) Jacek Stopa during the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland on Feb. 18, reported Chess.com. This historic triumph came after an intense three-hour battle on the board.⁠ ⁠ The boy’s remarkable feat comes on the heels of another record-breaking performance by Leonid Ivanovic, who became the youngest player under 9 years old (8 years and 11 months) to defeat a GM in classical chess by beating GM Milko Popchev on Jan. 11. Kaushik surpassed Ivanovic’s achievement by being nearly five months younger.⁠ ⁠ Reflecting on his win, Ashwath expressed his excitement and pride, saying, “It’s a very exciting feeling and amazing to be able to beat my first grandmaster on the board and it’s in classical [chess] so I feel very proud of myself.”⁠ ⁠ Introduced to chess...