Anant Borad, 11 and a sixth grader at Maumelle Charter, recently won an international chess tournament hosted by Uganda and with competitors from that country, as well as eight more virtually, including the United States.

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Borad, below, competed in and won the Under 12 division.

Dad, Jignesh Borad, said his son has been playing chess since he was 5.

“When he was in kindergarten, I took him to see one a [Little Rock School District] chess tournament to support and cheer my friend's kids who were participating in the tournament.” Jignesh Borad said. “The atmosphere there was magnetic and pulled him into the world of chess instantly.”

That exposure, the older Borad said, led his son to start learning the game, and began competing in tournaments in just a “few months.”

Anant Borad started just by entering, then, “he worked very hard … and received a second place medal in the next tournament and a first place medal in the tournament after that. 

“He continued to play and grow ever since” and “has earned 20 plus medals and trophies in various chess tournaments.”

Jignesh Borad said his son has usually played against older students which, “has helped him get challenging games and more learning opportunities”

The younger Borad also coaches chess to other students via Zoom and the “student to student coaching is organized by Georgia Morris at Mosaic Church in Little Rock.”