Eight-year-old Hyderabad chess prodigy Anaya Sharma has won the gold medal in the girls’ Under‑08 category at the 2025 Commonwealth Chess Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
She scored 8/9 points after a remarkable run of seven straight wins against top-seeded opponents. The Telangana youngster, an ELO 1600+ player from Maestro Chess Academy and a Class IV student at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, has been hailed by tournament officials and Indian chess authorities as a rising star and the first girl from the state to lift this title.
Her parents, coaches and school have attributed the feat to years of disciplined training, while Anaya has dedicated the medal to India and set her sights on becoming a Grandmaster and world champion in the coming years.
‘Little Champ’ from Hyderabad Makes History
The Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025, held from 8–17 November in Kuala Lumpur, brought together hundreds of young players from across the Commonwealth, with India fielding a particularly strong contingent in the age‑group categories.
In the girls’ Under‑08 section, Anaya dominated the field, finishing with eight points from nine rounds and topping a podium that also featured fellow Indians Anvi Deepak Hinge and Teesha Byadwal in silver and bronze positions.
Reports from organisers note that Anaya’s campaign began with a flawless 7/7, including wins over several higher‑rated rivals, before a slip in Round 8 and a clinical must‑win performance in Round 9 against Malaysia’s Swareega secured her the gold.
Officials from the Commonwealth Chess Association and the All India Chess Federation have praised her composure and tactical sharpness, with one senior official calling her victory “a proud moment for Indian chess and a powerful message to young girls that they belong at the very top.”
Gruelling Training, Family Support and Big Dreams
Anaya’s rise is rooted in an early love for the 64 squares: she first encountered chess at a Kalpataru summer camp in Hyderabad at the age of five and reportedly sat at the board for hours without losing focus, prompting her parents Gaurav Sharma and Aarti Bolaki to encourage formal training.
She now trains six to eight hours a day at Maestro Chess Academy in Attapur under coach Amitpal Singh, with additional guidance from senior trainer Girinath, who credits her success to an unusual combination of discipline, curiosity and calmness under pressure.
Before the Commonwealth triumph, Anaya moved steadily through district, state and national circuits, then represented India at the Under‑08 World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, in July 2025, finishing seventh among around 200 participants and gaining invaluable international exposure.
Off the board, she is described as a bright all‑rounder and a favourite of teachers at Hyderabad Public School, where staff have adjusted schedules to accommodate her intensive practice and travel while she continues to excel academically.
Anaya cites world champion D. Gukesh, former world champion Viswanathan Anand and Indian star Divya Deshmukh as her inspirations and has publicly expressed confidence that, with continued hard work, she can reach the Grandmaster title in the coming years.
India’s Chess Ecosystem and the Road Ahead
Anaya’s Commonwealth gold is part of a broader surge in Indian chess, where structured academies, supportive schools and proactive parents have combined to create a fertile ecosystem for young talents.
India’s girls’ sections in Kuala Lumpur were particularly dominant, with Indian players clinching gold in several age categories, underlining the country’s growing depth and the impact of sustained investment in youth coaching and competitions.
Coaches from Maestro Chess Academy highlight that the academy itself has recently celebrated multiple international and national successes, including medals by other juniors, demonstrating how focused training hubs can transform local interest into world‑class performance.
For Telangana, Anaya’s feat is especially significant, as she is being celebrated as the first girl from the state to win a Commonwealth age‑group gold, prompting local chess associations and schools to plan felicitation events and discuss expanded training facilities for children.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Anaya Sharma’s journey from a summer camp in Hyderabad to the top of the Commonwealth podium underscores how talent blossoms when families, teachers, coaches and institutions act with patience, empathy and vision.
Her story also points to deeper questions of access and equity: while a supportive ecosystem helped one child chase her dream, many other gifted youngsters in India still lack safe spaces, mentors or financial backing to pursue sports like chess.
The Logical Indian believes that nurturing young champions must go hand in hand with building inclusive, community‑based sports cultures that value mental wellbeing, fair play and gender equality as much as medals.
