A GLASWEGIAN chess whiz kid has been selected to represent Scotland at a forthcoming Chess tournament.
Advik Mittal, 8, a pupil at Glasgow’s St Patrick’s Primary School who has been selected to represented Scotland in the under 12 category at the forthcoming Liverpool Quadrangular International Chess Tournament.
He has also become the youngest person in the UK to complete The British Youth International College (BYITC) Supermaths National Abacus Maths programme.
Abacus Mental Maths is recognised as the most advanced mental arithmetic programme in the country and covers not only the Abacus maths concepts but also the wider arithmetic operations of mathematics.
These include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentage, fractions, square roots, decimal arithmetic and BODMAS, a means of decoding a mathematical expression.
Advik, who joined the BYITC’s programme at just 5 years of age, said: “I am pleased that I am the youngest person in the UK to complete the mental maths programme.
“I have enjoyed it all. The teachers are very nice and friendly and help you a lot, and I’m sure that learning Abacus Mental Maths has also helped me improve my abilities as a chess player.”
Sachin Mittal, Advik’s father, said: “Advik started playing with numbers and loved them. He can calculate large sums rapidly in his head without the use of a calculator and this has greatly helped his ability to learn more about numbers and develop his analytical thinking skills.
“We are very grateful to Dr Rashmi Mantri and her colleagues at BYITC for providing this brilliant opportunity for Advik to advance his knowledge and understanding of numbers. I have no doubt at all that it has helped him achieve success also in chess.”
Abacus Mental Maths has 11 levels, each of which runs for three months each.
Students learn under the supervision of a certified teacher throughout the programme which was developed in the UK and is considered suitable for the UK’s school curriculum.
BYITC’s Founder Dr Rashmi Mantri, said: “We know that working on arithmetic problems alone can be monotonous, so we have introduced a competitive element so that students can improve their analytical skills in a more dynamic way.
“We have been delighted by Advik’s progress throughout the programme and anticipate that he will now go onto further explore his love of numbers by developing yet more sophisticated mathematical skills.
“Our overall aim is to find the next generation of mathematics prodigies, to kindle their competitive spirit, and to nurture their true potential.”
A core component of the BYITC’s approach to Maths teaching, Abacus Maths training is introduced to students through the Supermaths programme.
Kids are taught to calculate sums by visualising an Abacus board and use their fingers to manipulate imaginary beads. This not only allows them to do rapid mental arithmetic, but also stimulates cognitive development, improves memory and focus, and develops problem-solving skills.
The BYITC is now the UK’s largest provider of Abacus Maths classes and are split into a junior and senior track.
Supermaths is taught through a mix of weekly teacher-led classes, online learning tutorials and activities.
Pupils can also make use of the world’s first digital Abacus maths learning App, developed by the BYITC for its students.
BYITC now plans to organise an International Abacus Maths Olympiad and the same students will now be moving to compete in this global competition.
The Liverpool Quadrangular is made up of three sections U12s, U14s & U16s, each comprising teams from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the English regions. This year the tournament will take place on 10-11 December 2022 at Liverpool College, L18 8BG.
Advik made his international debut in chess when he represented Scotland in the World Cadets Chess Championships in Batumi, Georgia earlier this year. Here, 800 youngsters from over 70 countries participated across different categories (U8, U10, U12 open and girls).
Advik secured 4 draws and 2 wins against some of the best players across world, with some of his games lasting for more than 3.5 hours.
