The 11-year-old chess prodigy from Visakhapatnam, Alana Meenakshi Kolagatla, is on cloud 9. Alana, who’s ranked world primary within the U-12 woman’s class by FIDE (International Chess Federation), obtained the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2023 for distinctive achievement in sports activities class earlier this week in New Delhi.
She was among the many 11 kids who had been chosen for the award this yr and obtained the honour from President Droupadi Murmu. She was awarded a medal, a money prize of ₹1 lakh and a certificates.
The Class VI pupil has been constantly holding the highest three world rankings in her class by FIDE for over a yr. Alana was launched to chess on the age of six. Within 10 months {of professional} teaching, she began enjoying worldwide chess and shortly gained a gold within the 14th Asian Schools Chess Championship organised by the Asian Chess Federation and World Chess Federation. In 2019, she bagged gold for India within the Asian Youth Chess Championship within the speedy format within the under-eight women class.
Chasing her desires
“Alana is focused about her game. I have seen her evolve from a playful girl to a chess player with a desire to improve and progress. There are times when she had to forego the little joys of childhood for the discipline and practice that the game demands. And she has accepted it,” says Alana’s mom Aparna Kolagatla, talking over telephone from New Delhi.
Alana will probably be returning to Visakhapatnam this week and will probably be specializing in her faculty closing exams earlier than she begins making ready for the European tournaments from May.
Chasing the dream of turning into a grandmaster, the younger champion says: “My role model is Judit Polgar, the only woman who played and won in the open category. I want to be like her one day.”
Source: www.thehindu.com