Kruttika Nadig (16) is now numbered in the long list of internationally acclaimed Indian chess players, following the award of a bronze medal in the Asian under-16 Girls Chess championship at Tehran (Iran) earlier this year to her. “I learnt to play chess when I was eight, basically as a summer-time leisure activity. My mom taught me the basic moves of the 16 chessmen. I liked the game so much that before long I was playing competitively. I won my first international title — a bronze medal in the under-12 girls category — at the Asian Youth Chess Championship in 1999,” recalls the Bangalore-based Kruttika.

Since then there has been no looking back for her. This youngster is slowly but surely carving a niche for herself in the international competitive chess arena. Her accolades include several national and international championships. Among them: first prize in state level (Maharashtra) girls under-12 and under-14 championships in 1999 and 2001; silver medal in national under-12 girls rapid chess championship 1999 and 2000; gold medal in the National Superleague under-16 championship 2003; gold medal in National Junior (under-19) championship 2004; bronze and silver medals in the Girls Asian Youth championships 1999, 2001-02 and 2004.

“Ideally one should start training for competitive chess as early as age five, when the mind is most malleable,” says Kruttika, who believes she started a little late in life. But despite starting late this determined youngster has shown steady progress. This is the result of an arduous practice regimen — three to six hours of play every day in internet chess clubs and with professional chess players. Also included is a strict physical fitness routine comprising a brisk 3 km walk and yoga. “Contrary to popular belief, to become a world class chess player one needs to develop patience, stamina and immense concentration. To sit in one place for eight-10 hours at a stretch requires great energy and focus,” avers Kruttika.

The past two years have been the most hectic for this young chess champ — a balancing act between national and international tournaments and studies at Bangalore’s upscale Mallya Aditi International School where she averaged an impressive 85 percent in the class X ICSE examination.

A stumbling block has been shortage of sponsors. “Financing the game, training and travel to various international tournament venues entails major planning. Currently Rs.6 lakh per annum is required to sustain and improve her game, but only some public sector banks and sport-loving individuals have shown interest in sponsoring her,” says her educationist mother Devika, director of SPARSH, a Pune-based teacher training NGO.

Scheduled to participate in the World Junior Chess Championship, Kruttika is practicing hard in a bid to bring the crown to India. “Next year I hope to attain the Women’s International Master title and graduate to the Grand Master norm within the next two years,” she says. Her ultimate ambition is to benchmark herself with Gary Kasparov — world champion from 1985-1993 and incumbent Professional Chess Association (PCA) champion.

Srinidhi Raghavendra (Bangalore)

Rajhansa Sridhara 

Being one of Mumbai’s toppers in the class X school leaving ICSE examination (the CISCE board does not as a matter of policy identify any one student as a city’s topper), is no mean feat, especially when a student’s aggregate is 96.83 percent with 99 percent in the maths and computer exams. But 16-year-old Rajhansa Sridhara is engagingly modest about this achievement. Answering well-wishers and media reporters with equanimity, Sridhara claims the secret lies in “knowing how to relax”.

Pressed further and on a more serious note, Sridhara a student of the Hiranandani Foundation School, (estb. 1991) promoted by the Mumbai-based construction and real estate development conglomerate, the Hiranandani Group in the fast developing suburb of Powai, attributes his success to several other factors. First, his family background and home environment. Father S.R.S Rao, a chemical engineer turned entrepreneur has an M.Tech degree from IIT, while his mother Bharati is a lecturer in economics at the Lokmanya Vidya Mandir College in the city. “The subtly supportive environments at home and in school were critical. My parents and teachers were very professional without ever exerting undue pressure,” says Sridhara.

He is willing to share the secret of his success with those keen to follow in his footsteps. During term he made it a point to supplement classroom lessons with two hours of home study every day. This regimen was stepped up to eight-ten hours a day during study leave, a month and a half prior to the board exam. But through it all, his golden rule was regular breaks for music, reading and cricket.

After his Plus Two exams from Kendriya Vidyalaya school within the IIT-Powai campus, Sridhara intends to follow in his father’s footsteps and read chemistry at IIT. His message to young aspirants aiming at achieving similar results: “Though hard work is important, intelligent study is the critical factor. It’s vital to understand matter rather than mug it up. And don’t overload yourself. Remember to relax!”

Gaver Chatterjee (Mumbai)