Very proud to have become a WGM, says Vijayalakshmi on comeback

India's first Woman Grandmaster S. Vijayalakshmi returns to competitive chess after five years, highlighting gender challenges in the sport.

India’s first Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and Arjuna awardee S. Vijayalakshmi returned to competitive chess after more than five years at the second Namma Bengaluru International Grandmasters Open Chess Tournament here.

Vijayalakshmi first took a break from the sport in 2007, when her father passed away. She took another break during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I don’t require a push to play. Chess is my passion and my first love. You can call me any day for a game, and I will be there,” Vijayalakshmi said.

She credited her husband, Grandmaster Sriram Jha, for supporting her through thick and thin, while adding that there are challenges to maintaining a balance between chess and family life. “Marriage was never a setback for me, but it is for many others in the sport. Even so, being a mother meant that every time I play a tournament, I was stealing time I could have spent with my child,” she said.

While becoming the first WGM from the country stands as a career highlight, Vijayalakshmi takes great pride in winning two silver medals at the Chess Olympiad (2000, 2002).

Unlike some of her peers, Vijayalakshmi believes that there is a place for gender titles. “I am very proud to have become a Woman Grandmaster. That title has motivated millions of little girls to take up the sport. Just because I am capable of playing in men’s competitions does not mean that I should be deprived of the opportunity to play in women-only tournaments.”

The 46-year-old added that women in chess face their share of challenges. “People say that men and women can compete equally, because chess is a game of the mind. But they forget that this is also a sport. You require physical endurance and utilise that to sustain mental endurance. Women undergo childbirth, menstruation, and other physiological modifications. This affects performance,” Vijayalakshmi said.