Chess Olympiad: How gold medallist Vantika Agarwal went from a slow starter to star performer in Budapest

“When I mislaid my lucifer against my Polish opponent, I was truly heartbroken. I instrumentality losses precise hard and if you saw that game, I was wholly winning. On a mean day, if I were successful that position, I would triumph 10 retired of 10 times. But past the adjacent time the squad needed a gully against the USA and I won my match,” Vantika told the Indian Express. “There was an property spread but we each had large conversations and connected good with each other. If idiosyncratic mislaid a game, everyone motivated that idiosyncratic and told them that if contiguous wasn’t a bully day, time would beryllium better.”

In a nail-biting Round 8 of the #ChessOlympiad, 🇵🇱 Poland pulled disconnected a stunning upset, handing 🇮🇳 India their archetypal decision with a 2.5-1.5 scoreline.

The unit was connected Vantika Agrawal, who recovered herself successful a must-win position. Her crippled against 🇵🇱 Alicja Śliwicka started… pic.twitter.com/2oBKiZ38tq

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 19, 2024

The 21-year-old, who precocious passed retired of Shri Ram College of Commerce successful New Delhi, did not commencement chess astatine a precise aboriginal age. Usually the ‘prodigies’ commencement young and erstwhile Vantika’s parent took her to a Delhi State tourney for the archetypal clip ever, she was shocked astatine the ages of children playing chess implicit there.

“Actually, I took them to the Delhi State Championship. Vantika was 7 and a half, and Vishesh (her brother) was 10 and a half. I saw kids arsenic young arsenic 3 oregon four, and they were already bully astatine chess. I lone knew Vishwanathan Anand. Up until then, I thought possibly lone adults played,” says Sangeeta Agrawal, a chartered accountant, who present travels full-time with her girl for tournaments.

At the clip though, Sangeeta believed her lad was the brighter of the 2 children. There would beryllium airy jokes that would beryllium made astatine the household table.

“When my lad and Vantika were increasing up, I felt my lad was ace intelligent. He had immoderate different level of quality and memory. And we utilized to jokingly telephone Vantika ‘buddhu.’ But she stayed motivated,” Sangeeta recalled.

India’s Vantika Agrawal contemplates her adjacent determination successful circular 11 of the Chess Olympiad successful Budapest. (PHOTO: FIDE/Michal Walusza)

While initially, Vantika didn’t get results astatine tournaments she continued to beryllium funny successful chess and ploughed on. In 1 of the adjacent tournaments that she took portion in, this clip with a manager down her, things started to look up.

Sangeeta remembered however she would get messages passim the time from the coach. 1.0 points became 2.0 and the numbers kept creeping up until she had to spell to her daughter’s tourney the adjacent day. Once implicit there, parents of different children started to congratulate her and called Vantika a prodigy.

At that time, she started playing with 13-year-olds alternatively of her property group. Soon a 1200-rated subordinate started beating 1600-rated players successful the unfastened category. But her ratings would fluctuate often. A signifier was emerging wherever Vantika would triumph aggregate matches but someway would miss retired connected the golden medals. At the Asian Juniors, she missed retired connected golden successful a tie-breaker. Then successful different event, she mislaid the golden medal presumption due to the fact that she was up connected points but the tourney was based connected full wins. In 2019, she had arsenic galore arsenic six metallic medals.

When the pandemic happened successful 2020 and sports came to a halt globally, chess bucked the inclination and roseate successful popularity. Players transitioned to streamers and abruptly a athletics that has been astir for implicit 1500 years had a caller lease of life. After the pandemic subsided, over-the-board chess returned with a vengeance. Vantika would play 28 tournaments from 2022 to the Chess Olympiad successful 2024, according to her mother. This was besides the clip wherever she was completing her grade astatine Delhi University and exams and preparations needed to beryllium taken attraction disconnected arsenic well.

“During her sixth-semester exams, she was besides participating successful Tata Steel Chess. We knew she would miss 1 exam but if she missed two, she would person to repetition that semester. So I told her I would marque her survey connected the autobus and connected the mode back. Later earlier the exam, I told her to constitute immoderate (it was for a Digital Marketing credit) and she managed to walk that exam and past aboriginal gave the exam she had missed retired on. Like each Delhi kid, she was trying to get 99%,” said Sangeeta.

Now with her grade completed, Vantika has turned wholly towards chess. Earlier determination would beryllium Korean TV shows and array tennis with her household astatine their home. But now, those moments distant from chess don’t exist. Recently the household was having meal unneurotic successful their surviving room. For a ample portion of the dinner, Vantika remained soundless successful her ain thoughts. Then retired of nowhere, she started speaking astir Magnus Carlsen and a lucifer of his that was expected to happen.

As Sangeeta enactment it, “Chess is the lone taxable astatine location now.”