64 Squares - An Initiative to Support Women’s Chess in India

In March 2023, Pravaha launched 64 Squares – our sponsorship program for women’s chess – in collaboration with MGD1, India’s top chess management agency.

Until 2023, of the 81 GMs that India had produced, only two were women - WGM Koneru Humpy and WGM Harika Dronavalli. Competing in the international arena requires time, money, and, for young children, it also includes the cost of travel and stay of guardians accompanying them. Women players find it even more difficult than men, to obtain sponsorships to cover these costs. It is especially important that this kind of sponsorship starts at an early age.

64 Squares is our move to address these gaps in Indian chess and propel female players towards greater heights in the game. As part of this program Pravaha has committed INR 2 crores over a two-year period for the training, travel, and other expenses of six talented chess players:

  • Vantika Agrawal (age 20), 11th Indian women to achieve International Master (IM) title, 14th place in FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament 2021, bronze medal in Indian National Women’s Championship

  • Savithashri Baskar (age 16), achieved the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in 2023

  • Shubhi Gupta (age 13), 37th National Junior Girls Champion 2023, 2022 Commonwealth Youth Chess Champion

  • Saparya Ghosh (age 13), achieved two titles in the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2022

  • Charvi Anilkumar (age 9), Under 8 World Cadet Champion 2022, 6 medals in the Asian Youth Championship 2022

  • A.R. Ilamparthi (age 14), achieved the title of International Master (IM) in 2023

Though our original intention was to lend support exclusively for women players, we find Ilamparthi’s performance sensational and are thrilled to include him in this cohort.

OUR SUCCESS STORIES

IM Vantika Agrawal

Vantika Agrawal’s FIDE rating has climbed to 2435, making her the number 3 woman chess player in India and the 11th Indian woman to achieve the title of International Master.

WGM Savithashri Baskar

Savithashri Baskar, who now has a FIDE rating of 2375 and a ranking of 8 in Indian women’s chess, became the country’s 25th Woman Grandmaster this year.

We envision 64 Squares as an open-design platform. With our partner organisation, Pune-based eSports firm MGD1, we aim to identify promising players, and suitable coaches and tournaments to feed their talent. We have begun by supporting six exceptional chess players and we eventually hope to build a collaborative ecosystem which will support the future of Indian chess.