Harika Dronavalli
was around six years old when her father brought home a chess set. It was meant
for her older sister who, her father felt, needed to learn patience. But it was
Dronavalli who took to the game instantly. Her parents enrolled her in a class
where she could learn the techniques of the game, and within a year, Dronavalli
was participating in the National U-9 Chess Championship. “I wasn't a really
good player, but I performed well and everyone was impressed. On the last day
of the tournament, I saw that trophy and that became my motivation. Next year,
I participated again in the championship and won it,” says Dronavalli, just
back from Tehran where she won bronze in the 2017 Women's World Chess
Championship. It's the 26-year-old Guntur-based player's third bronze at the
championships, the previous two coming in 2012 and 2015. Dronavalli also won
the Arjuna Award, India's highest award for sportspersons, in 2007 when she was
only 17.
But it was that first win, when she was just seven years old, that
whetted her interest in chess. “Initially, it was the appreciation that became
the driving force. But now, chess has become the lens through which I see
life,” she says.
This clarity, the decision to focus
entirely on chess came early, for Dronavalli didn't study beyond school. “I was
a professional chess player at nine, and there was no confusion about the
future. I was certain of making it my profession and so decided to focus on
it,” says Dronavalli. She currently ranks eighth in the world among women
players and number two in India.
If there's one person she credits for
her sterling performances, it's her grandmother, who accompanies her to all the
important tournaments. Long and diligent training - six to seven hours every
day - goes into Dronavalli's consistent performances. Then there are daily
work-out sessions and badminton. In her down time, Dronavalli enjoys watching
movies, sitcoms, and reading comics.
Victory without any cheer Dronavalli
says she was aiming for gold in Tehran but lost to China's Tan Zhongyi, ranked
far lower in the FIDE ratings, in the Armageddon tie-break (in which both
players are given limited time to move their pieces).
“It took me some time [to get over
it] but now I am fine and trying to cherish what I have got. It isn't easy to
reach the semi-finals in back-to-back championships. My dream has always been
to get gold. And since I am aiming for it, I will get it soon,” she says.
Neither does the lack of appreciation
for her achievements - there was no crowd or chess federation officials to
greet Dronavalli when she came back - worry her. This drew huge criticism, but
Dronavalli plays it down saying, “I am not disappointed; I am used to it.
People aren't aware, but things are changing and one day, it will bring a
visible change.” Dronavalli's thinking about her next tournament - the Sharjah
International Open starting on March 22, 2017.
Source: DNA-23rd March,2017
