Rhodes (Greece): Six-year-old Indian Ashwath Kaushik emerged champion in the Open under-8 category in the World Cadets and Youth Championships held here. Kaushik remained unbeaten and finished with 8.5 points from nine rounds to take the top prize. On the way to his triumph, Kaushik beat top seeds Modith Aaroh Mutyalapati (ELO 1598) of Canada and Raghav Pathak (ELO 1355) of the Netherlands.
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The seventh-seeded Kaushik worked his way up to finish the campaign with an incredible score of 8.5 points out of a possible nine, eventually beating eight of the top 12 finishers in the tournament which ended on Tuesday. Kaushik's compatriot Safin Safarullakhan finished fifth, picking up six points from nine rounds. Another Indian, Vihan Anupam Agarwal took the 15th spot with five points.
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Kaushik's coach, FIDE Master Balaji Guttula credited his ward's performance to his photographic memory. Guttula said with age and time on his side, Kaushik can hopefully make it to the club of youngest Grandmasters.
PTI
