Chess balm for Harika during postpartum phase

WHEN D Harika started feeling the effects of postpartum following the birth of her daughter in 2022, it was extremely hard to accept the changes I was having.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

"Changes to the body, mentally and everything," she tells this daily after the fifth round of the Chennai Grand Masters at the Anna Centenary Library on Saturday.

Harika identified her own path to self-healing—chess.

"I realised that to heal myself was to keep doing what I had been doing all my life, can't give up. It was to keep playing chess. Until my daughter needed me, I was there for her at home. When I realised she was fine with my parents, I started travelling and playing. Initially, I was travelling only five days or one week at a time. Later on, I started travelling (normally)."

It's not a surprise to know that mother and daughter bond through chess when Harika is home. "She just says 'Amma, chess board (smiles)' but she doesn't even play five-10 minutes with it. However, it's a fun process for all of us. She knows all the pieces and makes sounds, of the knight for example."