Hopkinton’s Dhairya Mehta is not yet old enough to drive a car and still is a couple of months away from being in high school. But the teenager already has established himself as a bona fide chess standout, capturing his first state championship recently with a win in the middle school division of the 2025 Massachusetts Barry S. Spiegel Cup.

“It felt great, I was really happy,” Mehta, 14, said of the state title win, which qualifies him for a trip to the national competition in Wisconsin this summer.

“I am really excited to go to nationals as well,” he said.

Mehta has been playing chess since he was 5 years old. He has entered well over 100 competitions and notched numerous wins. Mehta played in his first tournament at age 6 and has not looked back since.

He qualified for the state championship by virtue of his ranking as one of the top players in the state in the middle school division. He won three of his four matches in the states, earning a draw in the fourth for a total of 3 1/2 points. Mehta said he enjoys the dynamic nature of competitive chess and the focus that it takes to be successful.

“I like that every game is different,” he said. “There are so many new possibilities. You can switch things up really easily, and I like that you have to put a lot of thought into it. Plus, it feels really nice when you win.”

Mehta has done a lot of winning, so much that he is not exactly certain how many trophies he has claimed. He figures that he has finished in the top three in at least one-third of the competitions he has entered. This year marked Mehta’s fourth trip to a state tournament and his first victory.

Mehta is heading to Hopkinton High School in the fall and plans to join the Chess Club. Although he plays every day and has worked with various coaches over the years, he is quick to point out that chess is only one of his hobbies. He also is a competitive swimmer and participates in Boy Scouts. Mehta said he does not have grand aspirations in the game but hopes to compete well at the national tournament coming up at the end of July. He also hopes to have the chance to compete against a famous chess player someday.

“Magnus Carlsen, if I had to choose,” Mehta said, referring to the Norwegian grandmaster and five-time world champion.

Mehta’s father, Mitul, taught his son the game. But while the father is enjoying the son’s success, it has come at the expense of being able to play against the young prodigy.

“He stopped competing against me when I was, like, 5,” the younger Mehta said.