SREEKARTHIKA IS CHESS QUEEN

13-year-old dethrones Il-time champ Gong en route to winning S’pore women’s crown

- Melvyn Teoh

Sreekarthika Velmurugan topped the 12-woman field with seven points from nine rounds. She had six wins, two draws and a loss. ST PHOTO: JASEL POH

(ST PHOTO: JASEL POH)

Sreekarthika Velmurugan’s love for chess began with a game of snakes and ladders.

While playing the board game with her father nearly a decade ago, she got bored and after flipping it over, discovered a chess board on the other side.

Her father Velmurugan Gurusamy Pandian took the opportunity to teach his young daughter the game.

His efforts paid off on Feb 14, when 13-year-old Sreekarthika won her first major title at the Singapore National Chess Championships, where she was crowned the women’s chess champion.

In the process, she dethroned woman grandmaster and 2019 SEA Games gold medallist (women rapid) Gong Qianyun, 40, who won the title 10 times in a row and 11 in all.

The teenager said: “I think 1 played well and was quite strong overall, this is my best result as 1 was fourth (in the women’s category) last year.