Inside the Life of a 10-Year-Old Chess Prodigy | CM Sattwik Swain

This is Satwik Swayam, a 10-year-old chess prodigy from Odisha and one of India's rising young talents. The last time we met Satwik was at the Under-9 Nationals, where he went on to become the champion. But a lot can change in one year. Since then, Satwik has grown tremendously as a player. He has won multiple medals for India and crossed the 2000+ rating mark in both classical and blitz format. So after an entire year, we are meeting Satvik again to understand what has changed, how he has evolved as a chess player, and most importantly, what life really looks like for a young chess prodigy. So let's hear it out from Satvik himself.

So I'm joined with one of the brightest talent of India, the young talent of India, Satvik Sven. Satvik, how are you?

Very nice.

And do you remember last time we met in Under-9 Nationals, Jelgaon? You won the championship.

Yeah.

And till now you have grown a lot as a player and your rating has improved massively, your game strength has increased a lot. Can you take us through like what all happened in this one year?

Yeah, in 2025 I became the national champion and, uh, after that, uh, in open tournaments my performance was not so good, but it was okay. And but in age group, it was fine, it was good. But in open tournaments, it was not so good. But yeah, the year had been good. I had reached my peak rating of 2064, but then I decreased 75. But yeah.

So, after Nationals, as you mentioned, few tournaments didn't go as well and few you performed good. So what was like happening at that time? Did you analyze it like, or now have you, you have passed that phase and achieved your team rating also. So what was going through that time?

Yeah, I just wanted to cross a 2100, but I need to cross in 2026. You know what to cross it in 2026.

You need to cross it in 2026.

Yes.

And what all tournaments you played and what all medals you won? Like recently also you You have won medals in Asia, and even you have won medals in FIDE World Cadet Cup. Yeah, World Cadets Cup. World Cadets Cup, like, can you tell about your achievements?

Yeah, in FIDE World Cadets Cup, I became bronze medalist. I was taking the sole lead, but I could not manage to hold it for long.

You were very close to the gold medal in the last round. So like, what was the situation in World Cup? How strong was the field? How was the environment there?

Yeah, it was good. I lost the second round very poorly, and then I made a strong comeback and got the sole lead. After eight rounds, I scored seven and four or five plus or six and a half. And after that, I drew all the last three games.

Last two games would have been मतलब I could have won, but And also, when you are playing on this world level, a lot of players are very strong players for different countries are participating. How is that environment facing? Like India, you are facing against lot of similar faces, but in like World Cup or in other international events, is the pressure too high?

No, I actually feel confident.

You feel more confident. Yes. And like any reason behind it?

Yeah, I just there's no reason, but against every player I play confidently when I get a very comfortable position.

So World Cup was a great event for you. You won a medal for team. You won a medal for India. Bronze, silver medal?

Bronze.

Bronze medal. And in Asian Youth also you won a bronze medal in blitz. I wanted to talk about blitz. Like, I have never seen you playing blitz, but I have seen you play classical, and in classical only you get to this 1 minute, 2 minutes. So how do you like manage this blitz event?

Yeah, blitz event, actually my blitz rating is now higher than the classical rating.

Yeah, what it is?

मेरा क्लासिकल इस नाउ 1989 और इन ब्लेड्स इट इस 1992। वाओ, सो 1992 इज़ योर पीक रेटिंग?

यस। वाओ, दैट्स अमेजिंग। एंड हाउ वाज़ द एक्सपीरियंस प्लेइंग द ब्लेड्स इवेंट?

ये द ब्लेड्स एक्चुअली द लास्ट राउंड इन एशियन क्लासिकल आई ड्रू द गेम, सो आई वाज़ नॉट सो कॉन्फिडेंट Good score.

Like talking about the event, which was your favorite games?

And like in this tournament, in that tournament, in Asians, in Asians, uh, I didn't really have a very favorite game, but all the games were good and interesting. The draw games were very interesting which I drew. And yeah, the win which I won, it was very clean, but the draw which I drew, I could have improved.

And your performance analysis, if you done of World Cup, World Cadets Cup?

Yeah, World Cadets Cup was a good tournament. I played well till the end, but till the end slightly I could have done better.

Any particular game where you see and feel like which game I played really well?

In feed day World Cadet Cup, I think against in the fifth round I played against a Kazakh player Ali Aknash. He was 1834 rated, 1874 rated. Actually, I had 27 minutes or something. He had one hour. After some moves or so, he had one minute and I had five minutes. That was a very interesting game. And that was my favorite game in that tournament because I managed to do some complications and just outplay.

Okay, so, and also you are playing all these tournaments back to back. Like, since I last recall, is the Under-9 National Championship you won it. Before that also you had a medal in World Cup Cadets. So you are very actively focusing on chess. So is it like you are completely फोकस्ड ऑन बीइंग अ प्रोफेशनल जस्ट प्लेयर? या। हाँ, एंड हाउ इज़ द जर्नी गोइंग फॉर यू? लाइक हाउ डू यू मैनेज? आर यू गोइंग तू स्कूल और जस्ट अपीयर इन द एग्जाम्स?

आह, आई आह आफ्टर दिस टूर्नामेंट आईल गो तू स्कूल, बट आह रेयरली आईल गो. नो, फर्स्ट से नॉर्मल. ओह, Rarely something.

So now I wanted to ask a little off topic from chess that you mentioned that you will be going to school. How do you like school environment? Like you have been the player, a chess player, and a little bit it's a lot different. So do you enjoy that environment also?

Little bit.

Little bit. Like how, how is your studies going? Which is your favorite subject?

Maths and English.

Maths and English. Is it true that chess players are very good at maths?

It's a myth, but I am not sure.

Why do you think it's a myth? Like you said, it's your favorite subject, then there might be some connection to it.

Yeah, chess, there are related to numbers and all that, like e4, c5.

So I think this would be a new experience for you. Like, like, but also I want to ask you at the same time, how did you decide that You should go to school regularly right now.

Like because because because after this tournament there is no tournaments after this.

So what is the next event you are playing after that? You're not playing any other events for next two three months.

I'll play open tournament somewhere outside or India.

Okay, so still not sure exactly which event you are going to play.

Thanks.

It's good. I think a rest period for you where you can practice more and like study more. And talking about this championship, it's going quite smooth for you. In some games it felt like you were winning but it ended in a draw. So how do you look— how do you look at your performance throughout this event?

In this event, um, Pretty interesting one because in the second round I drew against a 1644, and after that I scored 4.5 out of like 5. After 5 rounds, I was 4.5. Then I, uh, I think I lost in the 6th round against 1880. After that I thought I cannot come back, but somehow I managed.

Yeah, and when you are one of the top leaders of the tournament Like you were the 5th seed of the event, you were playing in the 2nd round and you drew against a lower. So do you feel a little bit demotivated? And if you get into this zone, then how do you make a comeback in the next round? Because there is no big gap in the next round.

I don't care about what happened before.

Yeah, and even after loss, it's the same?

Yeah.

Okay, and which was your favorite game in this tournament?

Uh, favorite game, I think 4th game I liked a lot, and the 7th game— sorry, not 7th, uh, 9th game. Uh, 9th game I played a very clean positional game where I improved my pieces and avoided all the counterplay and converted smoothly. And in the 4th game I showed great ideas in the Najdorf, and I exchanged some all the like bishops and knights, and then I went into a major piece endgame where I exploited the advantage.

Yeah, that was a great game. If I can recall, it's opposite castles side, and you were both attacking.

There was no attack, but positional kind of structure.

Oh, okay, great. And In a year, in this last one year, if you have to say like what are the, what is your major strength in chess or something which you have improved massively, what is it?

Uh, positional chess maybe I have slightly improved, not so much, but, and attacking chess I need to work a bit, but positional chess, uh, it's kind of good.

Is it something that, um, related to, as you mentioned, Before this event, uh, before this interview, that your favorite players are Yelif Önder and Ruben Stein. So are you too much inspired from them and you like to play like that?

Yeah, uh, like I just want to be myself, but I just give my best because in a dynamic position I will not play positionally.

Yeah, that's true, that's true. And also, I wanted to highlight this part that in few positions, like even the stage game, we have seen you getting into time trouble a lot. What, like, is it some sort of, uh, your strategy, or like how things work? Like, in always time trouble, I have seen you making a comeback.

Actually, uh, time trouble I always get because I, I think a lot. I overthink in some— yeah.

You were thinking, you took a little long time, which was quite surprising.

Yeah, I actually forgot, and I, I did not know also. And I, and then I got a Sveshnikov position. I have never played Sveshnikov in my life, and, uh, I won that game. That was a very interesting scenario.

Yeah, and also I wanted to ask you that in this particular, this event A lot of expressions and emotions is also coming apart from this in in the games itself. Like you all, all of you on the top boards are friends because you meet in each other tournaments like Sarabat, Adibek. So you see their games, you express your feelings. So how does this happen? Like let's say today you are playing against Adibek, and at a point when he played knight d five. It was very obvious that from Advik facial expression and Nia's facial expression that you have missed a big thing. So what goes into your mind at that particular time?

I get embarrassed, but I feel confident in myself after making that mistake, like making same kind of mistake.

But sometimes it can happen like this also because When you played 95, it was not looking like it's completely lost. Yeah, it was little bit of worse, not completely lost. But as the people had surrounded and the environment, because of the environment, it looked like it was very worse. Like it's a loss. So do you does that thing take over on your mind? Do you think about that? Okay, why everyone is reacting like that is. Worse?

Sometimes, but not so much.

Okay, and then you managed to make a comeback. At what point you realized that the position is equal?

Uh, when the material was equal, like I had a queen and I had, uh, like the queen was on f2, h7, g6, d6, e5. King was on g8, bishop on f8, black pieces. King on h2, white. h3, g2, e4, c4, knight d5, queen c8. From that position, I knew that it will be a draw, and I knew that he will press, but I, I thought that I can equalize.

Maybe you asked for a draw also, right, at some point?

Yeah, when I gave a check on d4, I offered him a draw, and, uh, he played the move And he's telling that I will accept a draw. So I called the called the arbiter and I said that I offered him a draw by giving this check. Then he played his move already, so we cannot claim the draw. Oh, okay.

So oh that king c king f one bishop c five. Oh, that's that was a very key point.

Yeah.

I think we completely. Brain fog.

Yeah.

And you managed to win a very—

Very equal game.

Very equal game and a very important win for your tournament. Tomorrow is the last round. What's your mindset going into that round?

Uh, I will play for a win and I'll try for a win, but yeah, anything can happen.

Yeah, and after this tournament, as you mentioned, you will be back to school doing things. So apart from that, like, how your chess schedule looks like? How many hours do you put into chess and how you study?

Uh, study, uh, I just study even in exam times.

Study chess?

Yeah, I practice 7 to 8 hours On chessboard and openings also, and middle game.

Seven to eight hours with coach?

With coach I don't do. Obviously, it's very tough. I sometimes I go to the my coach Debashish Das, and I just learn two hours, and then after he tells all the. Like things, my like clearing all my doubts, and he says that check it, and I checked it at home. Wow!

And apart from this, are you following chess world a lot? Like following top players?

Yes, I follow many players, and I see their performance. What are they doing, and how are they playing? And What mistakes are they doing? What what are their strengths?

So if you like get an opportunity to play any tournament in the world, which tournament would you like to play?

Probably the World Cup, like the the important ones.

Yeah, important. And not World Championship or Candidates.

After I qualify from World Cup.

So you like the, uh, this concept of knockouts?

Yes.

Yes. Let's assume you have to play a world championship match. Against which player would you like to play?

Yeah, I can play with anyone. I can also choose Sarbath if I want, but I will play Magnus.

Okay, okay. Thank you so much for joining and sharing your views. And I wish you the very best for your upcoming chess journey. And once again, thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.