Assam’s 11-year-old chess prodigy Viraj Sarawgi shines in Europe, gains 290 FIDE Elo points

Assam’s 11-year-old chess talent Viraj Sarawgi delivered an impressive performance in Europe, gaining a remarkable 290 FIDE Elo rating points after competing in two consecutive FIDE-rated tournaments in Italy and Germany, officials said.

The tournaments were held between January 23 and February 2. Viraj, a Class VI student from Guwahati, first competed in the Italian International Open, which featured nearly 100 participants. 

He scored 3.5 points in the tournament, defeating several opponents rated above 1700 Elo, resulting in a gain of 122 rating points.

Following his success in Italy, Viraj went on to compete in Germany at the Nordwest Cup (B Category Open), where he faced opponents with Elo ratings exceeding 2000. He put up strong performances against higher-rated players and gained an additional 161 Elo points, taking his total rating gain from the European tour to 290 points.

Viraj trains at the Mumbai Chess Centre under the guidance of coach Srikanth Sarma Malladi and other coaches. His strong showing at the international level at such a young age has drawn attention to Assam’s emerging presence in competitive chess and highlighted the growing pool of young talent from the northeastern region.