64SquareTales

Woman Grand Master Srija Seshadri "Chess has built my character. Whatever I have learnt from chess, I try to apply it in my life too."  As a kid she would go for swimming classes, but that didn't interest her much. Once, when her dad was dropping her, they saw an advertisement for a chess class next to the swimming class. Her dad inquired about it and enrolled her in it. Next day, the moment she entered, she felt attracted to the chess pieces. Few months later she participated in a local tournament and won it. She started taking formal coaching in 2008 and went on to win Nationals U-11 Girls. It was when she won Asian Youth in 2012, Delhi that she started taking chess seriously. Her parents have been supportive and her mom would almost always accompany her for tournaments. For her, Chess is thrilling and she enjoys it a lot.

International Master Krishna Teja "Chess has taught me a lot in life. It has shaped me in better person, taught me how to deal with difficulties and never giving up.  Also I get to travel and know about different cultures." His mom wanted to inculcate different hobbies in him, while his dad wanted him to play a sport. He took a few music lessons and his dad taught him basics of chess. Later he developed a liking towards the game and started playing tournaments. He didn't take chess seriously until the year 2012, when he increased 200 Elo rating and missed an IM norm in Commonwealth 2012 by a whisker. He started working hard and soon in 2015 he completed his IM title. In December 2018, he scored his maiden GM norm at Sitges Open and since then he is working hard towards achieving Grand Master title.

Senthil Maran "Chess has taught me handling difficult situations with patience and also that efforts are never futile." In 2008 summer vacations, he and his cousins used to play different games. Being good at outdoor games, his cousins challenged him to play chess. He didn't know chess and so he told his father to teach him the basics of the game. In the next summer vacation he played against his cousins and won. Later seeing his dedication, his cousin enrolled him in a Chess academy. He then played few tournaments and got an initial rating of 1642. He liked chess, but it was only after his college that he became serious about chess. Even though he knew he started late he was ready to take up the challenge. After working seriously, in no time he made his maiden IM norm and even showed great improvement in his rating chart. Now chess is his passion. He says, Like his family, even his friends are very supportive and keep him motiv...

Vaibhav Jayant Raut   "Chess is my passion, there are times when you have bad phases in life, but you should never give up, keep working hard and the good days will be back." His journey in chess began at the age of 6 when he saw his parents play chess at home.  His dad taught him the rules of the game and soon with proper coaching he got a rating of 1500. He has also been brilliant at academics and won gold medal in world Mathematics Olympiad in 3rd grade for which he was awarded with a computer . The progress in chess slowed down in the coming years but his passion for the game never deteriorated. Having a supportive family he opted for commerce in 11th grade just to focus on chess .  He did not disappoint his parents decision as he went on to beat GM Aleksandrov Aleksej (2595) when he was rated just 1980 . He considers this win as his biggest breakthrough in chess which motivated him to dream big ! Vaibhav being a jolly person never carries tension to th...

Gaurav Zagade "Chess has made my education quite easy. As my patience, concentration, decision making, calculation ability, planning, etc reached a great high." Almost every Indian guy loves cricket and he wasn't an exception to this. Initially he learnt cricket and later his father spotted that he has great concentration and grasping power so chess might be an ideal game for him. He switched to chess and since then he hasn't let his father down. His father taught him the basics of the game and later on the father son duo went on to achieve their ratings. He not only knew the rules but also the advantages of the sport. Sure, he made his statement true by securing 99% in the board exams. Now his life is completely surrounded by chess. He feels that every chess player is lucky that they get to play the royal game of chess. His initial rating was 1466 and today it is 2174. 700 elo above the initial rating. Surely this lad will go a long way in the years...

Woman Grand Master Alina Bivol "Chess has taught me to plan for the future and it helps me in facing different situations. It has even taught me to be responsible for my decisions." She was 3, when her mom bought her a chess set. She started shaking the box and her mom opened it for her and got the chessmen out. Her brother taught her mom and her mom in turn taught her the basics of the game. Although her dad never learnt chess, but he started understanding it after watching her games. Later, when she started playing tournaments, her dad would follow them on chessbomb and would scold her for red moves. (Mistakes/ Blunders) She believes, one of the most important decisions of her life was to enter a Musical University. Had she entered Law or Economics University, she would have to stop playing chess. Music and chess mix good enough and her graduate work was about this. She sings opera and even has her own rock band. When she was young, she would perform a lot of d...

Utkal Ranjan Sahoo "Chess is my source to be happy and to be at peace. Chess has given me a different perspective of the world. I see, think and observe the world with a different view." Chess was introduced to him at the age of 6. His father used to play chess with his friends and Utkal being the youngest used to observe them play, In no time he developed interest in the sport and started learning it. Soon after that he started participating in various tournaments and not only he participated but started winning in his category as well. It was the year 2010 when utkal participated in the Asian youth tournament and he went on to win the tournament inspite of a strong field. He believes that after getting some more positive results he became serious about the sport. He had scored 3 norms which is one of the requirement to achieve the title, unfortunately his 1 norm was disqualified on the technicality basis.  He even had a live rating of 2400, which ...

International Master Nubairshah Shaikh "Chess has taught me a lot in life. Few of things I have learnt are decision making, being prepared, working hard and never giving up." He was 7 when he was introduced to the beautiful game of chess by his dad. There was an inter school chess tournament and he decided to participate. His dad taught him the basics and in no time he developed a liking towards the game. He opted engineering after his 10th grade because he wasn't getting results, he had given up, there was even a time where he didn't play for months. Later, in November 2014 Asian Youth Rapid, he won gold and that too on his dad's birthday. "That was the best gift I could gift him", he exclaims. As they say life comes in full circles. That was the day he decided that he wants to make it big in chess. Currently a Civil Engineer and an International Master, he is now working towards his goal of becoming a GM. Chess for him has not just b...

Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova "Chess is what I like and enjoy a lot. Chess is a big part of my life, a big part of me, I think. Chess has taught meto be patient, to work hard on what I want and never give up." She was 3 when her brother taught her the rules of the game She soon started playing tournaments and started enjoying them. At the age of 14, she realized chess is what she wants to do. She later represented Uzbekistan at Women Chess Olympiad She won Gold at Asian Juniors. She became Woman International Master in 2015 and then Woman Grand Master in 2016. Currently rated 2421, she is studying but soon she will be back on the board.

Ganesh Tajane "For all I have learnt, age is just a number. If you have the will, the determination and if you are ready to sacrifice things which could be an impediment, then success isn't difficult to achieve." Chess happened to him accidentally. He was once taking a walk in a park and saw few people playing the sport, he waited there and he was wonderstruck by how it was played. He felt like learning the sport, so he went home and bought a chess board. He learnt the rules and basics from the introduction paper and soon started playing chess regularly. Initially, it was a hobby but as he spent more time on the board, his love for the sport increased. Later, with some guidance he got to know about tournaments and started participating in them. Being from a middle class background, taking up a sport before studies was difficult for him, as most parents want their child to study hard and get a good job. He even knew that age was not on his side as he started...

Priyadarshan K "Chess has played a major role in developing my critical and analytical thinking. I could meet people and travel a lot. Chess has influenced a lot of my decisions, including moving to the US." He was 7 when his brother introduced him to chess. After learning the basics, he played his first National and he secured his place in Top 10. He then realized that he has some potential in chess and so he decided to pursue it. Being in Top 5 in the Nationals was a good indicator for him to learn about his progress. He worked hard and became a Grand Master. He has won many medals for the country one of them being gold for India at U-16 Olympiad. His studies were never compromised. He even moved to the US for further studies, he till date is amongst the most qualified Grand Masters in the Chess World. He now has an academy, named Chess Gyaan.  He was recently the coach of U-16 Olympiad Team. But wait, that's not it, recently he wrote a book- The Moderni...

Mariana Silva "I know I won't ever quit chess because it truly makes me happy." Her father was a chess player and he taught her the basics of chess. She says, "I was into dancing at that time and it took me quite a while to see the magic of chess." She started liking chess a lot more when she won her first National Championship in 2011. It was unexpected for her and qualifying for European championships motivated her to do more. Chess is her passion. She always finds time to play regardless of having a busy schedule.

Sanjeev Nair "Chess is a beautiful game that can make you forget about everything around you and it excites me every time I make the first move over the board. It teaches humility and makes you disciplined. The game is a constant reminder of the endless possibilities that exist, just like in life. Chess is something that will forever be a part of me, no matter what happens in life!" He was introduced to the game at the age of 6. As a kid, chess didn't appeal to him as such. Back then, he was a district level swimmer too. His parents were very particular about chess being a part of his life, and in time, he did develop a liking towards it.  It wasn't until 2008 when he got his rating of 1552 and started regularly winning tournaments at the school level, that he realized what the game really meant to him! The thrill of getting trophies kept him motivated and it was after 8th grade, he knew that he wanted to explore more and play at a higher level in chess. H...

Ranveer Mohite "Chess has been my savior. Chess has improved my analytical vision and changed my approach towards life. Chess has given me the opportunity to meet people from various backgrounds which I would have never met normally." Coming from a family where everyone used to play friendly chess, Ranveer used to lose frequently to his father and his elder brother. He would only win against his mother. Once his mother forced him to play a local tournament which he was not interested in as being a kid he enjoyed playing computer games. He played the tournament in which he had a streak of losses, but these losses made him fall in love with the game. With a rating of 1669 , Ranveer won a U-12 tournament and this motivated him a lot to practice chess. For him, chess played a vital role in his overall development as a human being. Balancing studies and chess was a task he handled well. Then came a time in 12th grade when he didn't score upto his expectation...

Aryan Joshi "Chess is everything for me. I love the sport. I believe one should never give up" His journey began in chess at the age of 11 when he saw his father and elder brother playing the game. Aryan being 80% visually challenged, things were not easy for him at first. But with sheer grit and determination he picked up the sport and started learning the basics. And in no time he started beating his father and his brother at the game. Along with chess he started to swim at the same age. So technically he was juggling chess, swimming and the academics. His interest for the game kept on increasing and he made a rapid progress in the game by achieving his international rating of 1492. He won several state open tournaments and even participated in the Para games in the age category. He started Representing India on a number of occasions.  He played the world junior for Blind in Poland and secured 6th rank which is really a commendable thing. He even represente...

Grand Master Abhimanyu Puranik   "Chess has taught me a lot of things, it improved my concentration, my ability to sit at one place and do my work, solving studies improved my out of box thinking." He is a person who regularly indulges in outdoor games like football , badminton etc, this is how his journey in chess began.. His mother used to take tutions when one of her student taught Abhimanyu the basics of chess. Then he was enrolled in a chess class and soon he won the Under-7 world schools at Halkidiki , Greece with a score of 9/9 ! Then there was no looking back he went on performing well and made a steady progress winning bronze at Under-10 World youth . In 2012 he participated at the Prague Masters where his starting rank was 99 , he went on to finish 3rd to score his 1st IM Norm ! With great progress in chess he did not let his academics get affected and got 93% in 10th Grade. In 2018 World Junior Chess Championship , Turkey , Abhimanyu won the Silver...

International Master Nurgyull Salimova   "Now I am so in love with chess, it's one of the most important things in my life. I work every day and I am really motivated to achieve more and get better." She was just 4, it was the spring of 2007, when her father being a chess player showed her chess pieces for the first time. Then they started talking about it everyday. In 2008, she played her first tournament, all her opponents were elder/senior to her but she came first. That's when she thought about continuing her chess. Chess has taught her to be disciplined, focused and responsible. She gets to travel around the world and see interesting things. She is just 16 and she is already a Woman Grand Master and n International Master. She has achieved many feats, few of them being U-12 World champion, European youth champion, she is even eligible to play the Women's world cup. She is amongst the most promising women players in the years to come.

Woman International Master Sachini Ranasinghe "Chess has taught me everything I am today- t o be confident about my decisions, t o be calm in every situation.  Mostly I can be isolated anywhere with my chess board and be happy for days!"  She was a mischievous kid who would keep running around, her brother was already learning chess at a club, back then. Her mother wanted her to join the club when she was 3 and had been asking people about it, but the minimum age required was 4. So when she turned 4 she was enrolled in the club. As soon she sat in front of the chess board with pieces in her hands, she became silent.  She started learning the game and became more calm. She took part in various tournaments. She won Asian Zonal 3.2 and realized chess is it. She is Srilanka's top woman chess player. Chess is everything for her now, it makes her happy.

International Master Sidhant Mohapatra "Winning or losing is not important as long as you enjoy the sport. Be true to yourself and to the game." Horlicks makes you taller, stronger, sharper but it did something different to him, made him a chess player. Way back in 2004 with a pack of Horlicks he got a chess board for free and that's how he learnt the game.  He along with his sister learnt the basics from his father.  Being a mischievous kid it wasn't easy for him to sit at one place but somehow he managed. After learning the basics he started playing tournaments. Then he got more interested in the sport and started participating regularly. After that he got an initial rating of 1996! And then he went on to win many state level age category tournaments, he even had a podium finish at the nationals. His amazing run continued, he participated in Asian Youth and got a medal there as well.  Following with a medal at commonwealth. Now, his life is devoted to ...

Woman Grand Master Nandhidhaa PV   "Chess is like a rollercoaster, you expect something you get something else. So best is to not worry and enjoy the ride."  Chess happened accidentally to her. In 4th grade, on a holiday she told her mom to get a snakes and ladder game for her. As luck would have wanted, the shop didn't have the game and instead her mom got her a chess board. Her uncle taught her basics of chess. Then she played a local tournament and won a woman's prize, that inspired her to play more tournaments. In 2007, she won her first National title. Later on she won many medals. Another feather to her hat was Silver medal at the World Junior Chess Championship 2016. Now she can't live without chess. As a kid she would promise her mom every time she lost, that next time she would win. Chess has taught her to never give up, to be calm and to understand life better.  

Pradhan brothers from Odisha. "Chess is very similar to life. There are ups and there are downs. Sometimes you end up losing a winning game and vise versa. More important is you enjoy every moment of your life." They were born in Boden, a village in the Kalahandi Balangir Koraput, and its said to be the most impoverished region of Odisha. They both are visually challenged and are 100% blind. But this hasn’t stopped them from playing the royal game of chess. They both are finest players from our country and have represented India on a number of occasions. Initially they were in a boarding school which was 500km away from their home. As there was no special school for blind in their hometown. But somehow they were not comfortable there and they withdrew from the school and came back to the village. Their first tournament had an interesting outcome, Soundarya being the younger one lost all of his game and prachurya being the elder one won all of his game and...