Checkmate Tania Sachdev – The Chess Grand Master
Chess is everything – an art, a science and a sport. Once in a blue moon does one come across a person who has been gifted the ability to live life like a game of chess, changing with each move.
Tania Sachdev, an Indian female chess player on the block has been the OG who rose to fame as one of the first women players in game slightly unconventional and highly male dominated. Her current world ranking is 1842 as per the latest list released by FIDE recently.
This two-time chess champion is an International Master (IM) and Woman Grand Master (WGM) and enjoys over 251K followers on social media.
PERSONAL LIFE:
D.O.B – August 20, 1986
Place – Delhi
Nationality – India
One of the few renowned female international masters in Chess, Sachdev was introduced to the game by her mother, Anju, at an early age of six years old. Her parents provided her with the necessary professional training and made her achieve her first international title when she was just eight.
She was coached by celebrated mentor K. C. Joshi during her formative years. As a child, she won multiple events and has climbed the ranks of success with each tournament played by her.
Tania finished her education from Modern School in Vasant Vihar and did her graduation at Sri Venkateswara College from DU. The chess maverick is sponsored by Red Bull and is married to a Delhi based architect Viraj Kataria.
CAREER & SUCCESS:
Tania had experienced stupendous success as a budding chess player, winning the Under 12 Indian championship in 1998, the Asian Under 14 Girls championship in 2000, and the Asian Under 20 Girls Championship in 2002. The trinity sealed her position as a formidable player on the global map.
In 2005, Sachdev became the eighth Indian player to be crowned with the Woman Grandmaster title. She also won the National Women’s Premier Chess Championship in 2006 and 2007, making her a two-time chess champion consecutively.
With her win at the Women’s Asian Chess Championship in 2007 she earned the International Master title in 2008 subsequently. In 2009, she was felicitated with the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Sports Ministry— an accolade she shares mutually with the Indian chess legend Grand Master Viswanathan Anand.
Along with the many hats dawned by Tania, the intelligent player was also the official commentator for the 2013 World Championship between GM Viswanathan Anand and GM Magnus Carlsen. In 2015, Sachdev secured a silver medal at the Asian Continental Women’s Rapid Chess Championship. In July 2019, Sachdev won Commonwealth women’s championship and defended her title.
The icing on the cake was Tania being a part of the Indian contingent which clinched the gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Hungary. It was the first time the country had bagged the Olympiad title and set a new record for the future chess players.
My Perspective:
Chess demands total concentration. Life is a chess match. Every decision that you make has a consequence to it. In principle essence, a game of chess symbolizes what human beings constantly indulge in – a fight. Not a fight which would create enmity, but one in which the logical, the humanistic and intellectual elements come together mutually. Chess is open to everyone, regardless of the age, gender, physical or economic status.
Chess is a cruel game. One moment of negligence, one second of distracted thinking, and hours of hard work instantly go down the drain. For most chess players, the combination of mental stimulation and a cool minded approach make this indoor game worth playing, making it super competitive and high spirited in equal measures.
