| C M Gowrishankar, a second standard student of Christ Nagar High School,
Trivandrum today became, at seven years, seven months and 20 days, the youngest ever FIDE
Rated player in the world.
He achieved the feat when he got 6.5 points in the TAL Chess Academy FIDE rating tournament
at Trivandrum, on 20-5-2000.
Gowri had 4.5 points at the end of the 11th round. He got his rating in style, clinching victories in the last two matches held today.
Gowri began playing chess at the age of five. His father, C R Manoj is a pharmacist in the Government Ayurveda College,
Trivandrum and his mother Saritha Manoj is a housewife. Both are devoted chess players.
His parents taught Gowrishankar and his elder brother Arjun Vishnuvardhan the basics of the game and both took to the game like ducks to water.
After training for four months, Gowrishankar won an open Under-7 tournament
at Trivandrum. Six months later became Under 7 Champion in the State tournament held at Palakkad. That was in September
1999. He bagged the Boys Under 7 title at the national chess
Championship in Aurangabad in January this year. He remained unbeaten in that tournament which attracted about 100 players in the
Under 7 Category.
Brother Arjun, a fourth standard pupil of Christ Nagar School, is
Gowrishankar's coach and mentor. No mean performer himself, Arjun is Kerala
State Champion in the Under 9 and Under 18 Categories. In the Aurangabad nationals, he upset Asian champion Meghala Abhinou of Andhra Pradesh in the
Under 9 section and led till the fifth round before an abrupt attack of fever prevented his moving further in the tournament.
"Arjun reads a lot of chess books and explains the moves to his doting brother. He is indeed the inspiration behind
Gowrishankar. Arjun is happy that Gowrishankar broke the world record, but he is determined to become the youngest
International Master. He hopes to make the IM Grade when he is 12."
added C R Manoj, the proud father of two illustrious sons. Manoj proposes to introduce his youngest, two-year-old son Aswin to chess at the age of four.
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