A S Sharvaanica’s winning moves on the chessboard taking her places
The Hindu
Nine-year-old chess champion Sharvaanica from Udayarapalayam, Ariyalur district, is on a winning streak, aiming for the WIM title.
The room lights up with good vibes when A S Sharvaanica skips into her home in Udayarapalayam, Ariyalur district, with a cheerful smile. Dressed in the India blazer, a pink tee-shirt and jeans, the nine-year-old chess champion’s accessories — socks and headband with black-and-white chessboard pattern — reiterate her love for the game.
Sharvaanica, affectionately called Sharvaa by her folks, may look diminutive, but has an impressive presence in competitive chess.
“I like to win, and prepare myself for it beforehand,” she says, as her elder sister Ratshikaa helps her get ready to face the camera. With her mop of curls resecured behind her headband and a fresh application of sacred ash on her forehead, Sharvaanica is excited as she is asked to pose in front of her medals and trophies.
Judging by the growing number of awards, a bigger shelf would soon be needed. This week, Sharvaanica obtained the title of Woman Candidate Master from FIDE, indicating her upward trajectory in the game.
Debuting in 2022 in competitive chess, Sharvaanica is famous in the circuit for her tendency to make a clean sweep in most tournaments. At the FIDE World Cadet Rapid and Blitz championship event in Durres, Albania, in April this year, she won the gold in the Rapid and the silver medal in Blitz Under-10 categories.
Earlier in February, she won gold in the Under-10 Classical and Under-10 Blitz categories at the Commonwealth Chess Championship held in Malaysia.
Life has been a rollercoaster ride for Sharvaanica since her sister introduced her to the board game during the lockdown. “None of us had played or even heard of chess before our elder daughter learned it at school,” says P Saravanan, a weaver. “Ratshikaa would play with Sharvaanica during the weekends, and soon recognised her younger sister’s talent for the game.”