Abhimanyu on getting his GM title

by ChessBase
7/1/2021 – You read it yesterday: the 12-year-ole New Jersey lad Abhimanyu Mishra gained his final GM norm, to become the youngest grandmaster in history. Sagar Shah of ChessBase India spoke to Abhi about the key game, and how he turned tables against his GM opponent; but also about his motivation and his future plans in chess. It is quite revealing to hear this boy speak about his remarkable accomplishments.

ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024 ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024

It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.

More...

Abhimanyu Mishra in interview

The man of the moment, or, shall we say, the boy of the moment, Abhimanyu Mishra became a GM by beating Leon Mendonca in the second-last round of Vezerkepzo GM mix 2021. He scored his final GM norm and achieved the GM title at the age of 12 years 4 months and 25 days.

IM Sagar Shah spoke to Abhimanyu, just hours after he became a GM. In this ChessBase India video he asks the boy about his feelings, and they also analyze the key game together. Finally: what are the youngster's plans for the future?

Sagar has also conducted an indepth interview with Hemant Mishra, Abhi's father, on their endeavour break the title record. Hemant tells us how his approach is different from his son's, and the ups and downs of a journey towards making his child into a GM. It is a very frank and open interview, which we will be posting shortly.


Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

rubinsteinak rubinsteinak 7/13/2021 05:41
Fischer achieved the GM title not through norms and rating as is typical today, but when he qualified for the 1959 Candidates at the 1958 Interzonal at Portoroz he was immediately awarded the title. So, this is an important distinction in achieving the GM title by such and such an age. Fischer qualifying for the Candidates is MUCH more impressive than achieving norms and 2500 rating. Imagine an IM qualifying for the Candidates in today's top-level chess; it would be an amazing achievement. Notably, the GM title is also conferred today by winning the World Junior Championship.
Shakey Shakey 7/3/2021 01:41
Nepo comment copied here for reference:

Yan Nepomniachtchi
@lachesisq
·
Jul 1
I’m dazzled with the new record, so I’d like to suggest some changes to the order of conferring titles. For example, one of the norms must be fulfilled in an open tournament, and the participation of 2400 GM luminaries in stamping new titles should be finally limited.
@FIDE_chess

And here is a piece about them. Horrific reading, and reads as simply abusive:
https://www.espn.com/chess/story/_/id/31738870/american-abhimanyu-mishra-becomes-youngest-grandmaster-chess-history
Shakey Shakey 7/3/2021 12:30
I do feel sad about these kids traipsing around and not going to school. Great board game, but need they miss out on their childhoods for it? Some parents clearly think so, and one has to feel that this is sad.

Regarding Nepo's comments (see Twitter) about titles requiring an Open event performance, I feel one must agree. The norm factory APA events in Hungary and Serbia were always sailing close to the wind, but look to have become increasingly overt. Pity that it takes this young kid's months-long APA-ing to so clearly show this, but if this pushes change, that's for the good.
dakma dakma 7/3/2021 08:32
Ah yes, as expected, losers coming out of the woodwork to trash this little kid and his family. Most certainly, all grown men, green with envy. The usual bilge and phony sentiments about lost childhood, pushy parents etc. But, let's ignore these pathetic losers and celebrate what the great Magnus Carlsen himself has to say (https://chess24.com/en/read/news/magnus-carlsen-celebrates-10-years-unbroken-as-world-no-1)

"But I will say huge congratulations to Abhi Mishra from the United States, who became the youngest grandmaster of all time. It’s a pretty nice achievement, I would say especially considering that he went to Hungary to play basically non-stop.... so I’m really impressed that he achieved this feat."

And, to those expressing phony sentiments and feeing sad about the kid not having hobbies, Magnus says this: "...wasn’t surprised that Abhimanyu had said he works 12 hours a day, since he’d also had a childhood consumed by chess"
Keshava Keshava 7/3/2021 05:46
Ratings are higher than in Fischer's time but so is overall playing strength. Admittedly Fischer could have been 2800+ if he had just kept playing (he peaked at 2775). His chance to get (at least some of) those points would have been a 1975 match with Karpov who at that time was the #1 rated ACTIVE player . Fischer however refused to come out of his self-imposed exile from chess competition unless FIDE agreed to demand that Karpov win by two points (which is the effect of a match to 10 wins with the champion retaining his title if the score is 9 wins each) - a condition which Fischer was smart enough to know FIDE would not accept (and even if they did why would the Soviets?) However, players are stronger than they were in Fischer's time. How much of the higher ratings of 2600+ GM's are due to players just being stronger and how much are due to other factors is a scientific question which IM Ken Regan, PhD. has studied. I invite those who have advanced degrees can take a look at his work and share what you think. Also remember that Professor Regan reads chessbase: https://cse.buffalo.edu/~regan/chess/fidelity/data/IPR2600reg4yr.jpg
Theochessman Theochessman 7/2/2021 02:53
For some reason, it makes me sad. In the video of the interview he was speechless when Kaja asked him wheter he has other hobbies besides Chess. Poor kid has no childhood.
alphamaster alphamaster 7/2/2021 01:23
The sure thing is that there are much much more players today and much much more tournaments to play than some decades before. Also better living conditions in much more countries. I predict that in few decades the bar will fall under 11 years.
Jason Rihel Jason Rihel 7/2/2021 12:45
@fixpoint All this talk about how much easier it is now. And yet the youngest player record has stood since 2003....
Jason Rihel Jason Rihel 7/2/2021 12:43
All this talk about historical rating inflation, yet the list of 2700+ players has remained remarkably steady at ~40 players for at least 10 years now. e.g. currently there are 38. In 2010, there were 37. In 2010, player #100 was 2639. Today #100 is 2647.
PhishMaster PhishMaster 7/2/2021 12:23
@fixpont, That ratings are higher today is not proof of inflation. It can, and I believe is, a product of stronger players due to better training and training materials today.
Gerald C Gerald C 7/2/2021 08:57
Poor kid ...
KevinConnor KevinConnor 7/2/2021 08:00
@fixpont Couldn't agree more. Also, in the past becoming the youngest gm ever has been of very little importance. Only since it has become an obsession with guys like Sagar Shah and other Indians it has begun to become a topic. Carlsen is only 9th and Fischer and Kasparov aren't even in the top 30. I wish all these young players the best in their (chess)lives and hope they become great players and some will be good enough to fight for the title that really does matter, the world title. I seriuosly doubt many of them will.
fixpont fixpont 7/2/2021 03:53
@Keshava: it is much easier to get the title today because the threshold of 2500 ELO still stands, there are much more players, inflation of ELO rating has been happening for decades

if you look at the FIDE rating list from 1980 the 100th player had 2500 ELO, today the 100th player has ~2650 ELO and even the 200th player is over 2600

it is still a great acievement but not comparable with the past, that is a mistake journalist make for sensation, if you see the list of players in history who get their GM title before age of 15 you will realise that 80% of the players you have never heard of because they achieved nothing later, i wonder why
Keshava Keshava 7/2/2021 03:01
@Ajeeb007
While it is true that young people now have computers to help them train - so do their opponents. They also have to know more theory than in Fischer's time. Then again, nowadays there are a lot more opportunities to play for the norms; so maybe in that sense it is easier? I don't understand why you mentioned Polgar however since I don't think that she had computers to help her get her title; therefore it seems that it should have been as hard for her as for Fischer.
"In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, at the time the youngest to have done so" - Wikipedia
Ajeeb007 Ajeeb007 7/2/2021 02:25
A lot of top notch resources and effort were devoted to this youngster getting his GM title. Fortunatey his parents were able to provide that for him. Kudos to him. One has to realize though that getting a GM title today (or even in Judit Polgar's time) isn't nearly as difficult as it was when Fischer accomplished it.
Frederic Frederic 7/1/2021 09:52
@chessgodo: There is full annotation and analysis in Sagar's video discussion with the kid. Also yesterday, in our initial report: https://en.chessbase.com/post/made-it-abhi-youngest-gm-in-history. I found both videos very instructive.
chessgod0 chessgod0 7/1/2021 08:46
Would be great to have analysis/report on the final game. Congrats to the youngster!
1