MARGAO
Chess player Diya Digambar Sawal is on a roll. She scored 9 points to win gold in Under-9 girls category at the recently held National School Chess Championships 2022, at Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Earlier, the Class IV student of Manovikas English Medium School, Margao, had won the gold medal in West Asia Under-6 tournament at New Delhi.
Diya has shown a lot of promise at age of nine. Coached by Prakash Singh at Chess Guru Goa Academy, Aquem, she has sharpened her skills by playing at the academy.
“Behind every young child who believes in her self is a parent, father and mother, who believed in her first,” said Dipali, Diya's mother. “Certainly, our goals are higher and these are the first steps."
Diya's mother Dipali, who is the vice-chairperson of Margao Municipal Council was ecstatic about her daughter's success. “She had worked hard preparing for this championship and the efforts she put in have paid off. I'm thankful to coach Prakash Vikram Singh for spending long hours during the training sessions which has resulted in this performance,” Dipali said.
By virtue of her podium finish at the National School Chess Championship, Diya has been selected to represent India at the Asian and World School Chess Championships. “It is an achievement for me and a dream come true. This was my coach’s dream that I represent the country in the World School Chess Championship. I have no words to express as I am representing the country,” Diya said.
“I used to watch Woman Grandmaster Bhakti Kulkarni play chess and got interested in the game. She hails from my town Margao. It inspired me to pursue chess and I worked hard to represent the country at international platforms.”
On her plans for the World School Chess Championship, likely to be held in October this year, Diya said, “I want to focus on my game and give my best in the tournament. I am improving my game every day and learning the technical skills in the game.
Speaking about Diya, Prakash Vikram Singh, her first coach and mentor said, “She is a very hard-working girl and never hesitated to train even if it was rigorous. She is gifted with talent; I hope she will bring many laurels to the country in future.”
