Kozhikode: He is tipped to be future Kasparov and an Indian World Champion in the making by pundits of the game. But for Delhi's nine-year old Parimarjan Negi, it is just the beginning to reach the pinnacle in shortest time possible.

Negi, the only child of his parents has sort of hitch-hiked from his mornings in Delhi and presently settled down in this commercial town to make the elite game of 64-squares as his career.

The unassuming Negi, who was studying in Amity International School in Delhi said, “I am interested in the game and would like to be a world champion in the shortest time possible. My goal is to set a record as the youngest world champion ever. It may happen in about five years time or little more than that.”

Saying that he is one among the million fans of cricket mastero, Sachin Tendulkar, Negi says that his love for Chess started at the age of four. “I enjoy my stay here and learn new things every day in this brain racking game,” said Negi, son of Jung Bahadur Singh Negi, an officer in the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Paridhi Negi, Administrative Manager in LIC New Delhi.

“I spend a minimum of 12 to 16 hours a day playing chess with Grand Master, (Evegeny) Vladimirov, for the past three months said Negi, who was lured in to playing by his father's friend Vinayak in Delhi.

He was coached by IM G B Joshi, before he made Kozhikode as his home to pursue his chess career. Initially IM Ratnakar coached him for a month here.

PTI