'He was like a sponge. He soaked up everything we taught him -- and when it came time to play, he'd squeeze out exactly what was needed on the board during tournaments.'
Sixteen-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra could be the next Bobby Fischer that the US has been searching for several decades.
Abhimanyu, who holds the record for youngest Grandmaster -- he became GM at age 12 -- also became the youngest player to defeat a reigning World Chess Champion.
Abhimanyu achieved that latest feat in the fifth round of the ongoing FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Uzbekistan where he defeated World Chess Champion D Gukesh by sacrificing a piece.
"It was a routine tournament preparation for Abhimanyu. He felt good after defeating Gukesh. It is always a great feeling playing top Indian players," says his father Hemant Mishra, an IT sector employee in the US.
With a FIDE ELO rating of 2,611 points Abhimanyu has been punching above his weight, knocking off and drawing with several higher rated players.
Interestingly, Abhimanyu has been scoring full points playing white and drawing with black pieces in this tough tournament.
The FIDE Grand Swiss is one of the most significant tournaments in the World Chess Championship cycle, featuring many of the world's strongest chess players.
The 11 round Swiss system tournament is held every two years.
Considered one of the most difficult and unpredictable chess events given its open nature, the top two finishers in both categories -- Open and Women -- qualify directly for the World Candidates tournament, where a challenger for the title of world champion is chosen.
Abhimanyu learnt chess at age five with his dad Hemant Mishra not wanting his son to get immersed in mobile phones or other digital screens.
Not having a full time coach or a second now, Abhimanyu initially was coached by Indian origin GMs Arun Prasad Subramanian, Magesh Chandran Panchanathan and his wife Anuprita Patil from Maharashtra, all settled in the US.
It is a different matter that Abhimanyu is now seeing digital screens to check chess engines for analysis and others.
When Hemant first brought Abhimanyu to the Kings and Queens Chess Academy in New Jersey, the boy was just four or five years old.
What caught Academy founder Panchanathan's attention wasn't just the child's potential -- it was the father's commitment.
"Hemant drove 45 minutes one way just to get to our coaching centre," recalls Panchanathan. "After an hour-long session, he'd make the same drive home."
That level of dedication is rare, Panchanathan had told this reporter earlier.
Initially, Abhimanyu trained under Panchanathan's wife and co-coach Anuprita Patil. But as his skills developed rapidly, Panchanathan himself took over the young prodigy's coaching.
According to Panchanathan, one can push a child to work hard, but forcing them to love the game is impossible.
"What stood out about Abhimanyu was his sustained intensity. We've seen kids who were deeply into chess early on, only to drift toward other interests. But he stayed focused."
Both Panchanathan and fellow full-time coach Subramanian were struck by Abhimanyu's unusual discipline for someone so young.
"He could sit for hours in front of the board without getting restless," Panchanathan noted. "That kind of focus is extremely rare in children."
Another remarkable trait that stood out to both coaches was Abhimanyu's exceptional memory and ability to absorb complex chess positions and strategies with ease.
"He was like a sponge," said Subramanian. "He soaked up everything we taught him -- and when it came time to play, he'd squeeze out exactly what was needed on the board during tournaments."
Before long, the two Grandmaster coaches began to see Abhimanyu playing at a Grandmaster's level.
He was not only holding his own but also defeating International Masters and even seasoned Grandmasters.
Hemant made a conscious decision early on to make Abhimanyu compete in open tournaments against adults, never in age-group events. That exposure to tougher competition made a big difference.
With their ward becoming stronger and starting beating them in chess, the two coaches told Hemant to get a GM with a rating above 2,700 as a trainer so that his son can go further ahead.
"Abhimanyu is working on his own these days. We just talk time and again. I am really excited to see this performance (defeating Gukesh) as it has been a while since he made headlines like this," Subramanian said.
"He is in his 11th grade and it is not easy to manage his studies and also play at that level in chess. But he is managing both."
"I am very happy with his performance so far. Hope he finishes strong and keeps the momentum," said Panchanathan.
"Currently, Abhimanyu doesn't have a trainer/second. Unfortunately, there is no corporate sponsorship for him. He wants to be a world champion later in his life. He is 50% occupied with academics. He completed his 10th grade and took multiple Advanced Placement courses which kept him very busy in the last one year. So he could not play many tournaments in 2025," Hemant explained.
Unlike the USA's first and only World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer who had quit academics to focus full time on chess, Abhimanyu -- like most Indians wherever settled -- is looking at academics alongside.
"Abhimanyu is equally good in studies and wants to go to a top Ivy League university. That's why he has to spend a lot of time on academics," added Hemant.
Queried about Abhimanyu's daily routine and how he spends his free time, Hemant said: "There is generally no free time. Eight hours of school work and about seven hours of chess."
Nevertheless the chess prodigy does take time out from his tight schedule.
"Recently, he liked 12th Fail. At five he had watched Searching For Bobby Fischer and got inspired to work harder," Hemant said.
"Abhimanyu felt good when he earned the spot in the US Championship in 2023. He was 14 at that time and became the only Under-15 player to play in the US Championship after Fischer. He tied for second place. GM Fabiano Caruana won the championship," Hemant recalled.
Despite his full time job and financial constraints Hemant accompanies Abhimanyu when his son participates in overseas tournaments.
"It is fire fighting helping him with my full-time job. The family is struggling on the financial front with no sponsorship. So other family members can't think of joining us," Hemant said.
Crediting his wife Swati Sharma for her support Hemant said: "She takes care of her office and home while we travel. It would not be possible without her support."
There is another chess player coming up in the family.
"My younger daughter Ridhima is a FIDE rated player," Hemant remarked.
Abhimanyu, like Gukesh and GM R Praggnanandhaa, sports a tilak on his forehead.
"There is a short prayer with a tilak before every game," Hemant said.
This Abhimanyu fighting with elephants, horses, a queen and soldiers is breaking into the top chess league, a sort of the Chakravyuha, a military formation mentioned in the Mahabharata, which was broken by Abhimanyu, one of the epic's heroes.
Given his track record Abhimanyu can be expected to come out victorious.
Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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