The immediate goal for M. Sahithi Varshini, who made her Olympiad debut in Chennai for the India-C women’s team, is to become a Woman Grandmaster.
The 15-year-old, currently playing in the European circuit in pursuit of the three GM norms that would earn her the WGM title, is an inspiration for the young talent, having warded off a life-threatening dengue attack when she was just five. Not many gave her a chance to keep going, but a decade later, the young chess talent from Visakhapatnam is ready to script success stories at the highest level.
With her father-cum-coach M. Lokeshwara Rao going all out to support his daughter’s cause, Sahithi has the privilege of focussing more on chess.
Blessing in disguise
“In a way, chess proved to be a blessing in disguise for my daughter when she suffered from dengue. The sport provided a perfect platform for her to keep away the distractions, stay relaxed at critical moments,” said Mr. Rao. Importantly, Sahithi lived up to the expectations breaking into the top 10 in India.
“I think my style of play resembles that of former World champion Mikhail Tal. The pandemic snatched away two crucial years of my career. But, fortunately, I am back in the competitive circuit.
“The Olympiad experience was unforgettable and learnt a lot from that experience,” explained Sahithi, who was also World No. 2 in the under-15 category early this year.
Some of her feats include winning nine international medals including those in the Asian under-10 and under-12 categories besides the Commonwealth gold in the under-10 category.
“I don’t have any fear playing against anyone in any event. This I feel is my strong point. Obviously, I am conscious of the fact that I need to keep improving to realise the ultimate dream of winning the World championships,” signed off a confident Sahithi.
