Calcutta: A teenager whose mother had mortgaged her jewellery to send her to the Asian Youth Chess Championship last month may no longer have to worry about entry fees before playing tournaments.

An NGO has pledged financial and logistical support to Bristy Mukherjee, 14, who bagged silver in the U-14 girls' category at the championship in Chiang Mai, Thailand, between April 1 and 10.

Metro on April 15 had reported the struggle of her parents to fund her game.

Her father Debasish Mukherjee has given a portion of their house in East Burdwan's Memari on rent to run the family.

Her father used to run a grocery shop but he had to shut it down.

Accompanying Bristy to tournaments left him with little time for business, Mukherjee said.

Sunita Sigtia, who runs an NGO that works for athletes from poor families, contacted Mukherjee after reading the Metro report (see picture).

She had Mukherjee and Bristy come over to her office in Chowringhee and visited their home as well.

"I will help her with entry fees in tournaments and transport and accommodation. I want to help her find the best trainer," Sigtia said.

Bristy trains at the Alekhine Chess Club at Gorky Sadan near Minto Park. She spends six hours daily travelling on local trains and packed buses between Memari and Minto Park.

If she misses the 8.45pm train from Howrah, she has to wait for another 90 minutes to catch the next one and reach home past midnight.

Sigtia got to know how the prize money Bristy wins is kept aside to cover travel costs although that is not enough.

"I was deeply moved by her story. She is such a young talent. It's a shame if she does not realise her potential because of money," Sigtia said.

Bristy missed gold by half a point in Thailand. She outplayed higher-ranked players in four consecutive rounds, but drew her last match against China's Wan Quian to score 6.5 points in nine rounds.

This was just half a point less than what Kazakhstan's Kamalidenova Meruert had totalled to win the gold.

The visit to Thailand was the first time Bristy travelled abroad.

She has had to skip a couple of international tournaments for want of money.

Playing more and more open tournaments is the key to improve one's ratings, a member of the Bengal Chess Association said.

"In several international open meets, organisers take care of transport and accommodation of established players. But budding players have to bear their own expenses," the member said.

Sigtia said she hoped Bristy wouldn't have to miss a tournament again for want of funds. "I already have her roadmap planned for 2018." She said she was in talks with a couple of corporate groups for sponsorships.

"I could not believe our luck. The help is godsend," Bristy's mother Aparupa said.

Bristy will play in a tournament in Bhubaneswar later this month. Sigtia has already taken care of the entry fees. "I don't want to let go of this opportunity. I can concentrate only on my game now," she said.