CHENNAI: Burnishing her reputation as one of the hottest chess talent among the young lot, Sharvaanica AS from Ariyalur won the gold medal in the U-10 girls’ category at the recently concluded Commonwealth Chess Championship 2024 held in Malaysia.

Displaying commendable chess skills, Sharvaanica achieved a remarkable eight out of nine points with two draws in the competition featuring 18 players from five federations.

Her journey to the Commonwealth Chess Championship began in 2022 at the U-7 National Championships organised by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) in Gujarat. There, she secured a perfect score of 11 out of 11 points, earning her the opportunity to represent the country at the Commonwealth Chess Championship.

However, despite the spectacular victory in the Nationals, Sharvaanica encountered a challenge when the Commonwealth tournament, initially scheduled for 2023, was rescheduled to 2024. This forced her to compete in the U-10 category instead of the originally intended U-8. Undeterred by this, Sharvaanica powered to conquer the challenge from higher-aged opponents, claiming the gold in the U-10 category.

“We were very nervous about her chances, as she had to compete with players older than her. But she won gold,” an understandably proud mother, Anburoja, told DT Next.

After returning from Malaysia, Sharvaanica met Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who congratulated her. “A huge congratulation to Sharvaanica for her achievement in the Commonwealth Chess Championship; may her winning streak continue in her future endeavours,” said Udhayanidhi. Sharvaanica was also joined by 14-year-old Raghav V, who clinched the silver in the U-14 boy’s category. Both of them are products of the Hatsun Chess Academy.