Chess might be a difficult game for many people, but it is certainly not so for 15-year-old Kolkata girl Mrittika Mallick, who aspires to be the first woman Grand Master in chess from Eastern India.
Mrittika, a class 10 student of Binodini Girls High School, Kolkata has made a name for herself in the Under 17 Open & Girls’ National Chess Championship 2023. She won first place in the under-17 national chess competition which was held in Jalandhar from 1st to 9th May 2023.
Speaking about her achievement, Mrittika says, ‘I feel immensely happy winning the Under17 National Championship this year. The feeling is surreal and I look forward to achieving my dream of becoming the first woman Grandmaster in Chess from East India.’
A rising star in her field, she placed 4th in the FIDE World Youth U14 Chess Championships 2022 and took home bronze and silver in the Asian Youth Chess Championships for U-14 Girls (STANDARD) and U-14 Girls (BLITZ), respectively.
One of the winners of The Telegraph Online Edugraph’s 18 Under 18 Awards Chapter II earlier this year, Mrittika Mallick has made everyone proud with her achievements.
Mritikka is attempting to strike a balance between her schoolwork and chess as she will be taking the class 10 board examination next year. However, she is currently prioritising chess above studies because she will be competing at the World Youth Chess Championship in Italy this November. Besides the World Youth Chess Championship, Mrittika will also be competing at Grand Master events at Nagpur and Bhubaneshwar.
Dibyendu Barua, India's second chess Grandmaster and the first West Bengal Grandmaster, has won the National Championships thrice and is a recipient of the Arjuna Award is currently training Mrittika two days a week for the competition.
On the occasion of Mrittika's one of the biggest achievements, Mr. Dibyendu congratulates her and said. 'Mrittika is a promising, determined, and talented student. She has a bright future ahead and I am certain she'd become the first woman grandmaster from East India. It is just the beginning of her career and she has to fight till the end to fulfill her dreams. I wish her all the very best for her upcoming competitions. I and my academy are always here to support her.'
With a lineup of competitions, Mrittika is putting in every effort to win and make the country proud. We wish her all the best in all her future endeavours!