Sochi : Every kid in town at the moment is anxiously expecting to receive a special gift from Santa Claus this ‘Christmas’. However, Kush Bhagat, a seven-year-old chess prodigy from Mumbai, has already and in advance earned himself a ‘Precious’ Christmas present by clinching the Gold medal in the boys’ under-7 category of the International Blitz Chess competition during the World School Chess championship 2016, which concluded in Sochi, Russia earlier this month.
Kush, a Second Standard student of Hillspring International School, Tardeo, showed great character and the confidence to come out trumps in the competition where around 190 kids from around the globe were in the fray. He was the only Indian in the Under-7 category in the entire tournament. In the main event, he scored 6.0/9 to finish sixth.
Kush, started playing chess at the age of three and has shown a keen interest in the sport. Three years later he started winning a lot of city level championships, his most commendable performance being the time he won the prestigious Under-7 Maharashtra state chess championship at Thane.
Like every young boy, Kush too is very playful and full of energy, but when he is seated in front of the 64-square board, he is completely a transformed lad, who is totally focused on the task ahead. That is one of his biggest assets, which helps him often to calculate his moves and plot the downfall of his opponents.