New Delhi, May 4 : Fourteen-year-old Indian prodigy Apaar Saxena has earned the prestigious International Master (IM) title after a remarkable run of performances across Europe, achieving all three required norms in just five weeks.
Born in 2012, the young talent from Bengaluru made his mark on the international circuit with a dominant showing at the IM Renome 2 tournament in Bosnia on March 30, where he scored 7/9 to clinch the title and secure his maiden IM norm. He quickly followed it up with another impressive outing at the San Vicente Open in Spain on April 6, once again scoring 7/9 in a highly competitive field featuring over 500 players from 54 countries. Saxena sealed his second norm with two rounds to spare, underlining his consistency and composure. His strong run continued at the Menorca Open later in April, where he posted a performance rating of 2404 and earned significant rating points, narrowly missing a third consecutive norm despite remaining in contention.
The decisive breakthrough came at the IM Putnik 114 tournament in Serbia on May 3, where Saxena delivered yet another 7/9 performance, securing his final norm and officially attaining the IM title. During the event, he also surpassed a live rating of 2450, marking a rapid rise from his previous rating of 2185 to an official rating of 2362 as of May 1. Achieving all norms and rating requirements within such a short timeframe highlights an extraordinary surge in form and places Saxena among the most exciting young talents in Indian chess. “His development has been strongly supported by his school Silicon City Academy of Secondary Education, Bangalore, with encouragement from Principal Sumalini Mam and School Coordinator Shenoy Mam. Apaar did not have any personal coach in the last two years. Prior to that, his coach was Jayaram Ramana.
He was taking some courses assistance from different academies like Killer Chess Training and Yuri Vovk courses,” Apaar’s father, Prashant, told ChessBase India. Saxena’s father has played a key role in overseeing his training, preparation and tournament planning, while his mother, Ruchi Saxena, has been a constant source of support throughout his journey. With this achievement, Saxena adds another milestone to India’s growing reputation as a powerhouse in world chess, and his rapid progress suggests even bigger accomplishments may lie ahead