Nihal Sarin secures record deal for an Indian chess player

15-year-old Chess Grandmaster Nihal Sarin secured a record sponsorship deal, among the biggest sponsorship deals for an Indian chess player since the legendary Viswanathan Anand. He is the youngest Indian ever and third-youngest player in history to break the 2600 barrier in chess.

Although it may appear that chess is a relatively inexpensive sport, at the highest levels it often requires multiple foreign trips, training with the top-level coaches across the world and access to chess engines -- all of which can cost a lot. Thus, the deal -- with Akshayakalpa, an organic milk company -- would help Sarin quite a bit. The complete details of the deal are not known.

Nihal Sarin is a chess Grandmaster with a FIDE rating of 2610, making him India's No 11 and world No 206 at the age of 15. Crossing the 2600 Elo mark at just 14 years and 10 months, Sarin became the youngest Indian and one of the youngest in history to achieve this feat. Entering the 2600s is quite possibly the next step in the life of a top professional chess player after crossing the requirements for the title of Grandmaster.

His tremendously high blitz rating of 2685 makes him rank in the top fifty in the world and India's third best. He recently won the 2019 Asian Continental Blitz Championships and cemented his blitz position amongst the best of world chess. He was also bestowed the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievements by the President of India in 2016.