Nikhil Kamath, India's youngest billionaire cheated in charity chess match: Report

Zerodha co-founder, Nikhil Kamath, India's youngest billionaire cheated in a charity chess match, Forbes reported.

In 2000, a 14-year-old Nikhil Kamath, the son of a bank manager and music teacher, dropped out of school and got a job.

In 2010, he co-founded Zerodha, a discount brokerage outfit. By 2019, with no external financing, Zeroda became the largest retail stock broker in India. Current daily turnover has reached $10 billion.

Five-time former world champion Viswanathan Anand agreed to an online charity chess match against several Indian celebrities, including Nikhil.


As is typical of such events, Anand played these opponents simultaneously.

As per the Forbes report, incredibly, Nikhil beat Anand, who resigned after 34 moves. Computer analysis of Nikhil's play calculated his efficiency at 98.9 per cent. This means that 98.9 per cent of Nikhil's moves matched the top moves recommended by computer chess engines.

The report says some readers may recall North Korean news reports of leader Kim-Jong Un's sporting achievements. In his first round of golf, he reportedly scored 38 under par, including at least five holes-in-one. He also rolled a perfect 300 score in his first time bowling.


Nikhil's playing at 98.9 per cent efficiency to beat a former World Champion represents a similar accomplishment. It is super-human.

"Now for the kryptonite. Nikhil's games on Chess.com show him playing at 0.6-10.9 per cent efficiency. At least three chess novices wiped him out in anywhere from 4-12 moves", the report said.

"Chess sites around the world had a field day. Clearly, Nikhil did not play on his own, but used a computer chess engine to suggest his moves.


There's nothing lower in the chess world than cheating by using an engine. Nikhil confessed. Chess.com blocked his account", the report said.

Blocking actually represents a mercy since it prevents people from analyzing his other games, it added.

"What's odd here is how on earth Nikhil believed that he could get away with using an engine to beat a former world champion", the report said.


"Nikhil constructed a legend for himself as a chess prodigy who turned to business only after his dreams of becoming a world-class player fell through. His mind sharpened and toughened by chess's intellectual demands, Nikhil went on to make a fortune in finance", the report said.

Yet, Nikhil's online games show him getting hammered in short order by novices.

"Nikhil was willing to cheat to win a meaningless charity event. What would he do for a billion dollars?", as per the Forbes report.-IANS