Who is 15-year-old Vandan Alankar Sawai, who defeated world No. 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen?

Fifteen-year-old Delhi chess player Vandan Alankar Sawai created a major upset after defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a 50-move game during Chess.com’s weekly Titled Tuesday online blitz tournament.

According to a report by Live Mint, Vandan, who has an ELO rating of 2,288, defeated Carlsen, rated 2,823, in the second round of the tournament. Remarkably, he did not immediately tell his parents about the win.

His mother said Vandan had initially been reluctant to participate in the tournament and had to be persuaded by his parents.

"Only after my husband asked did Vandan say he had played against Carlsen and won. Vandan was reluctant to participate in the event. We forced him to play," she told Rediff.com.

Even his coach, Gurpreet Pal Singh, was unaware of the result until the following day.

"I came to know about the game from Vandan's father the next day. The boy is a bit reserved and will answer in a precise manner," Gurpreet said, as quoted by Live Mint.

Vandan entered the game without placing pressure on himself. Playing with the white pieces, he opened with e4 and adopted a relaxed approach against the highly rated Norwegian grandmaster.

According to a report by Live Mint, the game remained balanced until the 26th move, when Carlsen made a costly mistake. With his king under attack from Vandan's bishop, Carlsen moved his king instead of capturing the bishop, allowing Vandan to gain a decisive advantage.

"I was shocked when he blundered,” Vandan stated, Live Mint has quoted.

Vandan later withdrew from the tournament after the fourth round because of fatigue. He finished the event with three wins and one loss.

Who is Vandan Alankar Sawai?

According to Live Mint, a student at Delhi’s Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Vandan is among the top performers in his class and has a strong interest in books about wars and military history. He is currently aiming to earn the International Master title.

However, Vandan remains uncertain about pursuing chess as a full-time career.

"I am not sure whether chess will be my full-time profession in the future, as at this age, many players have become GMs. Perhaps I will look at history and somewhat towards political science," Vandan stated, as quoted by Live Mint.

After his victory over Carlsen, Vandan told his school friends about the achievement. While some believed him, others remained sceptical about his remarkable claim.

For the young Delhi player, however, the victory marked an unforgettable moment against one of the greatest names in modern chess, Live Mint has reported.