Nineteen-year-old Savitha Shri's journey to India's Chess Olympiad team has been anything but ordinary. From learning the game by watching her elder brother play to overcoming financial hardships that saw her family pawn jewellery and her father quit his job abroad, the Chennai-based player has earned a place among India's finest. Now, she is set for the biggest challenge of her career as she replaces Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli in the Indian women's team for the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Savitha was part of India's silver medal-winning women's team at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou alongside Koneru Humpy, Harika, Vaishali and Vantika. Now, she returns to the national team for one of the biggest assignments of her career.
A chess journey that began with her brother
Savitha's introduction to chess came through her elder brother, Mugesh, who is five years older.
"We encouraged our son to play chess first," Savitha's father Baskar said. "For some years he was on that journey, state level, then national level."
As Mugesh practised, Savitha would quietly watch from the sidelines.
"My Savitha was monitoring her brother, how he was playing, everything," her father added. "The interest came to her automatically. She wanted to play chess too."
By the age of six, both siblings were training under renowned coach RB Ramesh and his wife Aarthie Ramaswamy, sometimes attending the free group coaching sessions conducted by the couple.
Choosing one dream over another
Supporting two competitive chess careers soon became financially impossible for the family.
"We couldn't manage two chess careers; I couldn't take the risk of splitting our support," Baskar said. "Savitha was also playing well, so I chose to help her continue her journey."
Mugesh eventually stepped away from competitive chess after Class 8, completed his studies and began working. Savitha continued chasing her dream.
Leaving a job in Singapore to support her career
As Savitha's talent became increasingly evident, Baskar made one of the biggest decisions of his life. He quit his job as an electrician in Singapore and returned to India to support his daughter's career full-time.
"Taking that decision was very difficult," he said.
The move, however, brought fresh financial struggles.
"After I came back to India, I found it very difficult to manage the family and support her sporting career at the same time. I faced many, many issues."
At one stage, the family even pawned Baskar's gold jewellery to pay Savitha's entry fee for a national tournament.
Support from relatives was also limited.
"In Savitha's childhood, our own family members, our brothers and sisters, weren't encouraging us to continue with chess," Baskar admitted.
Why chess instead of cricket?
Baskar himself had represented Tamil Nadu in first-division cricket. Yet he chose to guide his children towards chess.
"Cricket is teamwork; it's very difficult to shine without a lot of outside support," he said. "Chess is fully about a player's own talent."
The breakthrough that changed everything
One of the family's biggest challenges came in 2022-23, when Savitha qualified for the World Rapid Chess Championship in Kazakhstan.
The trip required nearly ₹3 lakh — money the family did not have.
It was Savitha's school, Velammal, through its correspondent, that stepped in to fund the journey.
Savitha justified the faith by winning a bronze medal, becoming the youngest player in the tournament to finish on the podium.
Sponsorship struggles
Corporate sponsorship briefly eased the financial burden.
A company supported Savitha's travel during 2023 and part of 2024 before abruptly ending its support.
"I don't know why they stopped it suddenly," Baskar said.
The following two years, until March 2026, proved challenging as financial constraints limited her tournament appearances, affecting both her exposure and performances.
Relief finally came in April 2026 when Savitha qualified for financial assistance under a Tamil Nadu government scheme based on her achievements.
"That's the only sponsorship we have right now," Baskar said. "That's what we're managing with."
Eyes on Samarkand
Despite the struggles, Baskar has no doubts about his daughter's future.
"I would like to see her become a professional chess player," he said. "We cannot stop it now."
Today, a family of six — Savitha, her brother, parents and grandparents — continues to support the young chess player's journey.
From learning the game by watching her elder brother to replacing one of India's most decorated players in the national team, Savitha Shri now heads to the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand with the hopes of adding another chapter to Indian chess history.
