At the age of five, Kush Bhagat was busy getting awards at competitions like Asian School, when most children are still starting to learn the bare necessities.
“Yes, I know I didn’t play well, or my opponent did, and that was the reason,” he replied when asked why he didn’t win the trophy. Kush Bhagat, a Candidate Master, won a bronze medal in the open class chess meet held in Paris in 2019.
Kush, a Bhagat family twin, has a massive assortment of medals and accolades in his room. “I have many medals, and this will find a good place in the showcase,” said Kush, whose twin sister prefers martial arts to chess. “It has become a close choice, as I have to leave her at home and take Kush for chess classes.” said his mother Shilpa who runs an NGO.
Kush was introduced to chess at the age of three after being captivated by the way the pieces moved. After beginning to compete in tournaments ranging from the local to the national and international levels.
At the age of ten, he won several prestigious events and defeated a Grandmaster. He is the first Indian to win three gold medals in an official Asian tournament.
After all these years, the kid has stood tall and proven to be a spectacular asset to this country. According to the most recent FIDE ratings published on August 31st, thirteen-year-old Kush Bhagat of Mumbai became a FIDE Master with a tremendous rating of 2302.
Kush, an eighth-grade student at the American School of Bombay, cracked into the world’s top 20 young chess players and rose to third place in India.
“Kush is a hard worker with a good work ethic. He enjoys playing sharp and wriggling out of difficult positions as an attacking player. He moves all over the world for championships and seeks to become Grandmaster in 2 years time,” said an elated coach.
