At the tender age of seven, creating records means very little to Anagha KGR. Hailing from a remote village called Kalale in Nanjungud Taluk of Mysore district, Anagha became the first player from Karnataka to clinch the U-7 National-level chess title last month in Chennai.
The victory has helped her gain an opportunity to represent the country at the Asian and World U-8 meet next year.
Trained by her father Gopinath K M, a primary school teacher, Anagha began playing chess at the age of five. The second standard student of Acharya Vidyapeeta Primary School has been climbing the ladder of success at a steady pace from then on.
Last year, after emerging champion in the under-7 District Chess Championship in Mysuru, the prodigy went on to win the gold medal in the State Championship in Bengaluru. The State crown helped her book her a berth in her first National meet in Kolkata.
Though she finished 15th in Kolkata, Anagha was not left disheartened, Instead, she made it a point to come back strongly, culminating in her success in Chennai. Recollecting her wonderful run at this year's National meet, Anagha says: "All the rounds were tough. I felt very happy for winning the gold medal but I have to improve a lot."
Tough contest
In a tight contest, where she lost two rounds out of the total 11, Anagha finished tied with Orissa's Rout Yashita with nine points each, but went on to win the crown on a better tiebreak score.
Success has not come easily for Anagha. Her father Gopinath has been successful in bringing in an encouraging atmosphere for the sport among the youngsters in his village. "I have been teaching chess to children of all age groups since I was 15 years," he says.
Well before she started playing the game, Anagha would find great joy in wearing medals won by other children of her village and it was time she found success on her own, felt her father. "I introduced the game to her when she was five. She was a fast learner and her unceasing interest amazed me.
“Be it the arrangement of the pieces, capturing pieces, gaining control of the game or learning pawn movements, she was quick to grasp the techniques," says a proud Gopinath.
Playing the game for three hours every day, Anagha's hard work saw her produce favourable results. A gold at the National School Games in Goa was the start of her fine run. Following that, a silver-medal performance in the State championship in Mandya gave her another opportunity to represent the State at the National level and this time, Anagha became the talk of the town with her triumph.
Her passion, interest and the talent have been spotted by the State chess bodies and they have promised to support the seven-year-old to achieve greater heights.
"These are early days and it is pleasing to see her talent get recognised. If she continues to perform well, The Mysore District Chess Association has promised to support us in terms of financial and training aspects," says Gopinath.
While thanking her father, Anagha says her favourite player and her inspiration is Viswanathan Anand. "I like Viswanathan Anand. I have immense respect for him and want to emulate him," says a confident Anagha.
Playing in the FIDE-rated tournaments and gaining points are the current goals of Anagha.
"I want to become a Grandmaster," she exudes confidence.
Published 05 September 2015, 19:03 IST