Anish Sarkar, the youngest FIDE-rated chess prodigy. The three and a half-year-old has become the newest sensation among the chess fraternity. 

Under the guidance of the coaches at Dhanuka Dhunseri Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy, his potential shines brightly. The Grandmaster recently spoke with Parallel Sports, expressing high hopes for Anish’s future in the game.

While talking about Anish, the Grandmaster stated, “Anish is an exceptional talent. He has been practicing with us for five to six months now. Usually we don't enroll the students who are less than 5 years old. Mostly because the kids usually take more time to interact with coaches, they are fearful. However, there are exceptions, like Anish is one of them. First day in the academy, we gave him many challenges, and he overcame all of them. Also, he enjoys spending time with the coaches, he interacts with them with rather ease.” 

“The characteristic that really stands out for him is his persistence. He is very passionate about the game. His passion is the force that made him achieve this milestone.”

Barua highlighted the importance of mental resilience in young players, saying, “The FIDE rating is a significant milestone and just the start of a promising career. However, while this rating is a major achievement, it can also create mental pressure for players. Ratings fluctuate—sometimes they increase, sometimes they don’t. Our goal now is to ensure that the rating doesn’t negatively impact a player’s natural game.”

Barua revealed the intensity of Anish's training, saying, “He comes to the academy five days a week, practicing for seven to eight hours each day. Sometimes, I have him sit with me, and he even visits my home. He truly enjoys our interactions.”

While talking about Anish’s upcoming hurdles, the Grandmaster revealed that “It's tough to tell. He obviously has a bright future in chess if he continues to give this same effort. Although we know in India people prefer studying over games as their career option. It's very early to decide anything. However, we will try our best to give him the training he needs, which will efficiently push his towards the grater route.”  

He further added, "As a coach, my hope is for him to overcome every hurdle, succeed in becoming a grandmaster, join the Indian team, and one day compete in the World Cup. Representing India on the global stage is a dream we both share.”

While conversing about the future of the academy, he states, “Currently, we have two centres—one in Bhawanipur Chakraberia and another in Salt Lake. I’m focused on maintaining these right now. Though there are several franchise offers, I haven’t pursued them yet because quality practice is my top priority. Still, I aim to reach more people in the future.”

“My goal in launching this academy was to promote chess widely, not only for creating champions but to help kids develop mental abilities and foster overall growth. Chess plays a crucial role in enhancing mental development, especially for the younger generation.”

He emphasised the importance of chess and aims to reach more people all over Bengal. Anish has now surpassed Tejas Tiwari to become the youngest Indian with a FIDE rating and currently trains at Dhanuka Dhunseri Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy.

In his first classical rating tournament, Anish scored 5.5/8, placing 24th in the West Bengal State Under-9 Open, and met the criteria for FIDE rating in the Under-13 Open. He regularly practices tactical puzzles and endgame techniques to sharpen his skills, training rigorously under Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua’s guidance.