Indian-American Abhimanyu Mishra’s historic feat of becoming the youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 in June 2021 has sent ripples through the chess world. Now, leading Indian chess player D Harika believes the trend of shattering age barriers in chess is here to stay and that an Indian is likely to break Mishra’s record soon.
Harika, one of only three Indian women to achieve the prestigious Grandmaster title, is currently competing in the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL). She sees the recent momentum generated by the Indian men’s team’s historic gold medal win at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest as a powerful inspiration for future generations, including the women’s team, who also clinched gold.
“The generation in general is getting smarter,” says Harika, a two-time Asian Games medallist and a member of the triumphant Indian women’s team in the Olympiad. “My daughter is just two years old and she can already identify the chess pieces. We have all the probability to do that (India producing the youngest GM). I mean, it’s difficult to say when it’ll happen, but definitely, we will have younger Grandmasters.” The 33-year-old, representing Upgrad Mumba Masters in the GCL, is confident in India’s future chess prospects.
Harika emphasizes that the Indian teams’ success at the Olympiad didn’t happen overnight. It is a testament to years of dedicated work at the grassroots level. “It’s (success) not like overnight or suddenly. We were always there somewhere among the top. They just worked hard over the years and that’s what is showing the results now. They have been competing in big events where the level of competitions is of the highest standard.” The consistent exposure to high-level competition has culminated in this remarkable achievement.
The Hangzou Asian Games silver medalist in the women’s team event acknowledges the men’s team’s well-deserved gold medal win and emphasizes the team’s dominance. “No, not at all. I am happy with the way it happened and they deserve it, definitely they deserve (it) more. They showed such class which in all these years, none of the teams could show. They won with almost one round to spare and they won with, you know, they just crushed the opposition.” The Indian men’s team, led by the exceptional Gukesh, secured 27 wins out of 44 matches, losing only once and drawing six. Gukesh’s impressive performance, featuring nine wins and a draw in his 10 matches, was key to their success.
While the women’s team faced some setbacks, Harika recognizes the men’s team’s more convincing victory. “We (women’s team) had some setbacks, we came back in the end. It’s also dramatic and nice. But I would say their (men’s team) win was much more convincing. So, there is nothing wrong about it (spotlight being on the men’s team).” The Indian men’s team’s achievement has rightfully garnered significant attention.
Harika, once ranked world No. 5, is optimistic about the future of chess in India, despite acknowledging that the sport doesn’t always receive the same recognition as other Olympic disciplines. “If you see the larger picture compared to other sports, maybe it will look like that. But for me, I have seen different generations, I have played chess for the country when no one even bothered to see what we are doing. So, from there if I see now, it’s developed a lot. I am content with whatever happened (the reception accorded to the Indian team on arrival from Budapest). It’s a massive success and I hope we inspire many more players to come to chess and do well.” The Indian chess community is energized by the recent success and the potential for future growth is undeniable.
