Chess | Vantika happy to have redeemed herself and aided in her team’s victory

Vantika Agrawal overcomes a blunder to lead India to victory in Chess Olympiad, aiming to become a Grandmaster.

Vantika Agrawal felt terrible on the night she drew with Alicja Sliwicka.

She was winning that game completely in India’s match against Poland at the Chess Olympiad, and she knew her team depended on her.

But, she made a terrible mistake with her queen on the 56th move. Now, the game was going to end in a draw; that would also mark the end of the Indian team’s seven-match winning streak.

“I knew I let my team down, and there is no worse feeling than that,” Vantika tells The Hindu over phone from her home in Noida. “That position remained before my mind’s eyes all the time; my blunder, Qe4, haunted me. I am glad that my mother was with me in Budapest and she helped me recover.”

Life often gives you a second chance to redeem yourself.

Vantika was going to grab that with both her hands. She did.

In the final three rounds, she won two and drew the other. Her win with black pieces against Irina Krush helped India draw with the United States. Then, she drew with Lu Miaoy in the penultimate round to help India beat China.