Meet Amogh Bisht, the seven year old chess champion

Amogh Bisht, a Class 2 student from VIBGYOR High, Marathahalli, who won the 32nd National Under-07 Open Chess Championship 2018 held at Tumkur, played his first tournament at the age of four years and eight months. “He has always been a very naughty and active kid,” says Amogh’s father, Manish Bisht, adding, “In pre-school, we first got him introduced to jigsaw puzzles, and he would solve them in a jiffy. Then we introduced him to chess and since then there has been no looking back.”

“Amogh loves the game. On one occasion, after winning a tournament, he even slept hugging the trophy. During the game too, if he has made a particular move that makes him happy, he will jump around in joy. He is very happy, motivated and enthusiastic. It is all his interest and passion,” says Manish, elaborating on Amogh’s fondness for the game. Amogh became the Karnataka State School Chess Champion by winning the tournament for the Under-07 category, held at Mysuru in January 2018, and represented Karnataka at the National School Championship, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. He also became the Karnataka state Under-07 Chess Champion by winning the state tournament at Tumkur, in May 2018.

Amogh has now officially been selected to represent India at the World championship (Weifang, China) and the Asian championship (Hanoi, Vietnam) in 2019. He is all set to attend workshops in preparation for the same. “There will be 10-15 days sessions for Amogh and all the participants set to represent India and Amogh’s current coaches, Manjunath J and Raghvendra V, too are training him in one-on-one and in group sessions. We are making plans with his coaches to allocate about two hours per day during the week and a few more during the weekend for him to practice,” says Manish.

“I like chess because I get to solve puzzles. My favourite piece is the knight, because of the way he moves on the board,” says Amogh. When asked if he is gearing up for his upcoming tournaments, he says, “Yes, I am practising now.”