In this revealing self-portrait of Abhimanyu Mishra he tells the story of a highly ambitious
family project. Supported by his father mother and sister Abhi sets out to beat a
nineteen-year-old world record. He wants to become the Youngest Chess Grandmaster in the World.
In June 202 at the height of the Covid pandemic he succeeds against all odds: ‘I should have
been jumping with excitement but my heart was so full that I ended up teary-eyed in my
father' s arms.’ Abhi was born on February 5 2009. On June 30 2021 he became the
youngest grandmaster in the world at 12 years 4 months and 25 days. In this book he explains
the extraordinary training methods of his father who not only helped Abhi develop his talents
and fighting spirit but also selected his professional chess coaches to constantly improve his
skills. Together they travelled from New Jersey to Budapest Hungary for the last part of the
journey – a non-stop barrage of chess games to secure the necessary results. ‘The pressure was
immense both for me and my opponent. It was a dead equal game and I decided to sacrifice my
Knight for a pawn. It was right at this moment that my opponent gave in to the severe time
pressure and ended up making a mistake. After a few moves GM Leon resigned. I had won the
game. I went out and saw Bapu waiting for me. I rushed to him and gave him a big hug. I had
become the youngest Grandmaster in the entire world. I had beaten a nineteen-year-old world
record. I should have been jumping with excitement but my heart was so full that I ended up
teary-eyed in the arms of my father.’
