8-year-old Boy Becomes Youngest Player to Beat a Chess Grandmaster: ‘I felt amazing’

credit Carleton Lim/Singapore Chess Federation

At the tender age of eight years, six months, and 11 days, Singaporean Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster in classical tournament chess.

He beat out the previous record holder by 4 months after defeating Poland’s Jacek Stopa, 37, in round four of the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland.

CNN describes his parents seeing the “inevitability” of their son spending more time than they did growing up looking at screens, and explained they tried to get out ahead of the habit by introducing the boy to the ancient board game through ChessKid.com.

Then as the pandemic arrived and Singaporean authorities instituted strict lockdowns, Kaushik had all the time in the world to practice.

“I feel proud of my game and how I played. I felt amazing, just unbelievable,” Ashwath told CNN Sport in the wake of his victory.

“I practice a lot each day,” Ashwath says. “A lot of children have a natural talent, so I think I’ve got a natural talent at chess.”

Born in India, Ashwath has been living with his family in Singapore for 6 years. In the Bergdorfer Open, he finished in 12th place after beating Stopa, and losing to International Master Harry Grieve. He is set to pick up 84 rating points, settling him at 1894—extremely close to the highest rating of any player under 8.

His parents aren’t pushing him, they merely allow him the time and space to pursue chess as far as he wishes. He currently enjoys the personal coaching of Chess GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming, CEO of the Singapore Chess Foundation, and recently completed GM Jacob Aagaard’s entire Grandmaster series without using a board, something which Ashwath’s father attributes to his “photographic memory.”

The coaches say his tactical nouse is very developed, but that he needs to work on his strategy.His next stop? A 2,000 rating, and then world champion, the youth says. 8-year-old Boy Becomes Youngest Player to Beat a Chess Grandmaster: ‘I felt amazing
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Junior’s Fashion Week to showcase trendy kids’ fashion in Kolkata

Meenakshi Kumar| Wednesday, 04 April 2018: The Junior’s Fashion Week (JFW), now makes its way to Kolkata. International brands including USPA Kids, Marks & Spencer, The Children’s Place, Flying Machine Boyzone are ready to showcase their Spring 2018 collection at a glitzy runway show in Kolkata. Junior’s Fashion Week will leave young fashion enthusiasts wanting for more in their next Runway showcase to be held on April 15, 2018, at The Grand Oberoi, Kolkata. The exclusive showcase of international brands brings matchless magic to the length and breadth of fashion and lifestyle industry.

The JFW Runway is a restricted privilege for many as it caters to a niche audience; the showcase is witnessed by revered individuals like HNI parents and buyers, influential mothers, fashion influencers. Moreover, representatives of leading fashion houses, notable media channels amongst other influential people from kids fashion industry also mark their presence at JFW Runway Showcase.
Showcasing top kids’ brands

Keeping in mind fashion-forward kids and their ever-changing clothing needs, US Polo Assn. Kids’ brings in a fresh burst of summer colors as it offers classic sports dresses in bold and vibrant colours, knitted summer dress, round neck tees, and trendy washed denim are amongst a mélange of other styles.

The Children’s Place (TCP) weaves quirky imaginations into its S/S18 collection. From classic denim to trendy bomber jackets, rugged jeans and basic coloured T-shirts, TCP weaves mesmerising magic into modest basics.

The brand name which is synonymous with comfortable styles, Marks & Spencer has crafted every apparel with its hallmarks quality and style that it’s incredibly proud of. Marks & Spencer’s ‘Holiday Shop’ will create fun fashion looks with vacation outfits – from frilly swimwear and breezy dresses for girls to nautical-inspired graphic tees and boardshorts for boys. Flying Machine Boys on the other hand is going all out to focus on its ‘cool’ quotient. It has generously sprinkled the collection with beach prints and vibrant colours.

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Kids’ ethnic wear emerges a promising segment in India


Kids’ ethnic wear is still niche with not too many big players venturing into this space. However, it’s a growing market with many new brands and established one vying for space. Weddings drive up demand: For brands to carve out a niche takes constant innovation, with fabrics, pricing along with the right marketing avenues to attract customers. Since, these products are not about window shopping its more about aspirations. As Shashant Maru, Proprietor, Genuine says, “Ethnic wear is at the most 15 to 20 per cent of the junior wear market. In junior wear, its casual wear that dominates. Yet, the industry is growing at 10 per cent a year. The premium and super premium segment of ethnic wear is too well positioned.” In casual wear, western wear has taken over and ethnic now takes a backseat. But with indo western and fusion wear growing, people are ready to spend higher for the right kind of ethnic wear. So, there are *kurtis*, palazzos, *lehangas, ghargra cholis* and gowns with an ethnic touch which are in great demand. Though overall demand has fallen because of western wear but volumes are higher than before because of population growth. Since, it’s about a rare occasion, consumers are willing to spend more at one go if the product is good and presented properly. Nikhil Furiya, Partner, Era says, “Ethnic wear has been doing well for the last five or six years. This has prompted many brands to jump into this category. It continues to be a demanding segment where sustaining yourself in the long term is difficult. Brands like Era, Genuine, Popton, Doll, AMI, Disha and Pari amongst others have been around for more than 10 to 20 years. For older players it’s all about consolidating working with organized retail, systematic functioning and marketing. New brands find the going tough: As new brands enter the market experts opine girls’ ethnic is a challenging category. Market observers feel new brands have a tough time in establishing themselves, to attract retailers’ attention. You have to aggressively market your product and match it with a variety of trends and colors. Also, the fact that it’s a seasonal business also deters many from entering the market. “Though for a newcomer its is tough but for existing players kids ethnics is promising because there are diverse tastes across various states in India, each brand gets their own customers,” avers Minesh Shah, Director, AMI. He adds, “Right now the market is flat but still we hope to grow by 25 per cent.” Many brands have dedicated designing team doing research on what works in the market. Therefore, even if you are a 25-year-old brand but inconsistent with both elements, you can’t expect to grow well. Throwing light on the scope of mid segment category, Kaushik Mehta, Proprietor, Keel Beel, explains, “The industry is geared towards the mid segment and one can expect maximum growth there. People making premium products are just two per cent of the industry. So, their turnover and sales may not be significant even though their margins are higher. If you want turnover and sales you have to cater to the mid segment.”Source: https://fashionunited.in/
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