World Under-10 Cadet champion A. S. Sharvaanica stepped up an age category to win the FIDE World Rapid Under-12 Girls’ title with two rounds to spare in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia, on Friday.

The 11-round event saw the Woman Candidate Master register 10 wins and a lone draw against Ukraine’s Daria Kravchuk.

The 11-year-old sealed the title with a victory over higher-rated Slovenia’s Ema Jaksa in the ninth round.

Sharvaanica finished with 10.5 points, three points clear of WCM Sholpanbek Zhansaya (7.5), to clinch the championship.

Entering the tournament as one of the top seeds with a classical rating of 2041, Sharvaanica began her campaign with a win over Alisa Yunker in Round 3. She followed it up with three successive victories before being held to a draw in Round 7 on Thursday.

She resumed on the second day with a win over Mariya Shakhova and maintained her momentum to clinch the title.

The triumph marks her second World Rapid title. She had earlier won gold in the Under-10 category at the age of nine and also secured a silver medal in the blitz event at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Albania in 2024.

Published on Apr 18, 2026