Fascinating tale of Sara Khadem

ON the opening day of Norway Chess, all 12 players posed for photos on the staircase just above the playing hall. The expressions of 11 of the 12 players were variations of bored, them just wanting to get on with it. The one exception? Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, an IM.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN @ Stavanger

She was smiling throughout the photoshoot, more than happy to oblige the photographers. Ten minutes in her company and it's easy to see why she was the only smiling face at the Opening Ceremony. "(smiles) I'm generally a happy person," she tells a group of Indian journalists. She's one of the very few at the top-end of elite chess who sees the game as a means to an end but not the end in itself. "Inside, I might be upset but I'm generally happy, I feel like my life isn't dependent on these games. If I win this tournament and you tell me my life is going to change, 'no, no, it won't'."