Between parents' fight and 'endless coffees': How Savitha Shri became India's only gold medalist at the Chess Olympiad

Savitha Shri talks about Chess Olympiad NEW DELHI: Savitha Shri Baskar has emerged as India’s golden girl at the 2026 Chess Olympiad, but there was a time when her chess career was funded by her father’s gold jewellery, which was pawned to cover the entry fee of the national tournament.Baskar, an electrician in Singapore at the time, would continue the job entirely and move back to India to support her daughter. It was a decision he still calls difficult.The victim wasn’t really his alone. Chess first came into the family through Savitha’s older brother Mugesh, who their father initially chose to build a career with.Savith’s own interest came from watching him play. But once the two children trained together, the costs made it impossible to run two chess careers. Mugesh withdrew after the eighth standard. Savitha continued.This time she went to Samarkand as the youngest member of the Indian contingent, brought in after Harica Dronavalli, who felt that she had achieved everything a chess career had to offer, including gold, stepping aside for the next generation.Even then, there were questions about the place of the 19-year-old international champion in the lineup. “There were many people questioning her place, journalists saying there are players taller than her and so on,” women’s captain Swayams Mishra told TimesofIndia.com earlier.“But she was qualified by selection and won the Asian continent a few months ago. She also played in the Women’s Team World Cup, so I always knew her as a team player. Whenever we gave her an opportunity, she delivered. If India won a medal, we owe it to her.”

Swayams Mishra with Savitha Shri at the Samarkand Olympics (FIDE Photo)

Savitha delivered in style, becoming the only Indian to win an individual gold medal in Uzbekistan, finishing an extraordinary 9/10 and being central to India’s bronze medal campaign.

A reserve who ended up playing almost every round

“When I came into the team as a reserve player, I didn’t even expect to play all 10 rounds,” she told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction. “So I’m grateful for the trust that my team-mates and my captain had in me, for giving me the opportunity to play all 10. I’m happy with the score, 9 out of 10; but in terms of the game, I think I could have been a bit better.”Around her sat some of the biggest names in Indian women’s chess. Looking back on her first Olympics experience, she continued, “It was my first Olympics and it was always a dream for me to play for a country in a tournament like this. We had Humpy (Koneru) akka who was the best player in women’s chess for almost two decades and we had Vaishali akka and Divya the first women’s team I learned in the Seshmukh section. a lot from everyone and Mr. Abhijit and Mr. Swayams did a great job with our openings and also in all other respects.

Savitha wins individual gold on board 5 at the Women’s Chess Olympiad (photo by Michal Walusza for FIDE)

Despite the individual gold, she is unequivocal about where her priorities lie. “The team medal will always come first, because we give everything for the team. I wasn’t even interested in my individual gold, someone told me that I secured the medal before the last round, but I only found out that I won after the round,” she recalled with a laugh. “I tried my best to win that last match so we could get silver as a team. I couldn’t change anything from the position I got, but at least I’m glad we got bronze.”

A grim start and climb back from Kazakhstan and China

The campaign did not start without problems. “When we arrived (in Samarkand) at the hotel, it was around 11:30 at night and they said they couldn’t prepare the rooms,” Savitha told this website. “We didn’t get the rooms for five or six hours. They made us wait in the lobby and then gave one or two rooms for the whole team.”But what followed was a boost from the federation, as Savitha confirmed: “After that the AICF made sure everything was sorted and we got our Indian food every day. The Indian restaurant was so far they had to get someone to deliver and make sure the food was good and on time. I don’t think any federation would have done that. We’re all so grateful.”On the board, the defining stretch of the campaign came against Kazakhstan and China, two matches where her own result decided India’s fate.“With both teams, I was the one who played until the last point and my game was the deciding factor,” she said. “It started with Kazakhstan; I got an equal position and tried to push it. I think what helped me score was time management: after move 40 I was always ahead on the timer compared to my opponent, which put more pressure on them, and I could cheat the position.”

Savitha Shri in the 10th round of the Chess Olympiad (photo by Michal Walusza for FIDE)

Against China, the margins were just as tight. “It’s a bit sad we couldn’t win it,” added the teenager. “When I got a better position, Vantika made a mistake at that moment and got into a worse position. If she was able to hold the draw, I think we would have won the gold quite easily.”

The captain who brought ‘endless coffee’

In the toughest stretches, Savitha points to one character that held the team together, especially after the early loss to Poland.“I think Swayams sir is the best captain ever because of the way he treated our team. We lost to Poland but he was the one who motivated us. Even during the matches, when we wanted something, he was always there: water, bananas, everything. He brought endless coffees for me because I played till the last minute every time. He even jokingly said that I was able to swing all my matches.” The support went beyond logistics, she said. “He had so much faith in me. I think he believed in me more than I believed in myself.”

Swayams Mishra at the Samarkand Olympics (FIDE photo)

That confidence, she added, was something she first experienced a cycle earlier, at the Asian Games, and she carried it with her to Samarkand.“There’s so much you learn from being on a team like that, discussing lines together in team meetings, having those interactions and having so much faith in me. They believed in me more than I believed in myself at the time,” she noted.When asked if she remembers what her family gave up to get her here, Savitha is open, if cautious, about letting it weigh on her every day. “If I don’t play well, everything comes to mind. My parents struggled. I know what they went through because they had to spend so much on chess because of me. That’s something I’ll always remember. But I don’t really think about it much when I’m playing, or in general. I just have to stay present.”

what’s next

Savitha, currently rated 2405, sees the title of Grandmaster (GM) as a goal to work towards rather than something owed to her reputation.“The Grandmaster title is definitely my goal and I will work towards it,” she said in a confident voice. “Of course I will play tournaments, but for now I think I will rest a bit. The Olympics is such a big and tiring event. My next tournament will probably be the World Juniors in Namibia, although I might play something before that. I haven’t decided yet.”On where her own game needs to be further sharpened, she concluded: “In my own game, I think I should be a little more balanced in the opening stages and probably work on some positional stuff as well. I played aggressive, complicated positions pretty well at the Olympics; positional chess is the next part I’ll work on.”