7-year-old chess savant aims to become world's youngest grandmaster
7-year-old preparing for World Chess Championship
Varun is listed as the second-best player in the U.S. for his age group, according to the US Chess Federation, and is a two-time state champion.
PLEASANTON, Calif. - At just seven-years old, Varun Turaga is preparing to compete in the world chess championship.
The second-grader from Pleasanton is the second-best chess player in the country for his age group, having played in 50 tournaments all over the country.
How it started:
His father and brother often played chess during the pandemic to pass time indoors.
His proud older brother, Saisatvik, 12, said that’s when Varun took an interest.
"I’ve played since I was three-years old because I watched my brother and my dad play and then my brother took it seriously and trained me," said Varun.
That same year, he stumbled into his first tournament intended for Saisatvik, who goes by Sai, and won.
"That is when I realized he’s really something," said their mother Lavanya Karanam.
Preparing Varun to meet his goal
After hours of dedicated training and participation in 50 tournaments, Varun is a two-time state champion.
"He picked it up fairly well," said Sai.
Varun said he played people of all ages, including a match against an 80-year-old.
"I feel like it’s been a real big journey so far from where he started and I feel like he’s made a lot of progress, and he’s doing remarkable so far," said Sai.
With a lot of focus and patience, his goal is to become the youngest grandmaster in the world, beating out the 12-year-old who took the title in 2021.
"He is born for chess," said their father, Vijay.
Qualified for the world championship
The 2026 world chess championship is scheduled for next summer in Eastern Europe.
Varun’s family thinks he’s ready, even though participants haven’t been formally announced yet.
"We are still waiting on his invitation from the US Chess Federation to participate, but he technically qualified with all the criteria that they have posted for participating," said Lavanya.
Varun’s family has spent more than $20,000 over the last two years on travel, coaching, and tournament fees.
"We have to travel to multiple states, not just in California, we have to go to multiple states and go to multiple tournaments that way he can get exposure playing with multiple kids," said Vijay.
What's next:
Varun’s family is looking for sponsors for him to cover expenses for traveling to tournaments through a GoFundMe.
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