A student of Delhi World Public School (DWPS), young Advik Sharma began playing chess at the age of four and a half years. He has numerous achievements to his credit, including being the youngest FIDE-rated player of Rajasthan at six years and nine months. Advik practices chess at Minded Move Chess School and considers Viswanathan Anand as his role model. He intends to represent Rajasthan at the national level and also to play for India in the Asian Games next year.

The Initiation

Advik is primarily a chess player who also likes to play cricket. He started playing chess with her mother when he was just four and a half years old. Subsequently, his curiosity for the game grew, and his mother enrolled him at a chess academy where Ankesh was his coach.

Gurus & Role Models

Under the direction of his coach Ankesh, Advik is honing his chess skills at Minded Move Chess School. He receives personal instruction from his coach in addition to attending the academy occasionally. His instructor also teaches him the fundamentals of chess opening, middle, and end games. Being the first Indian grandmaster and world champion, Viswanathan Anand is Advik’s role model. Advik is especially impressed with the way he plays and attacks.

The Talent

Advik explains that there are 64 squares on a chess board, 32 of which are black and the remaining 32 white. The columns on the board are called files while the rows are known as ranks. In the beginning, there are a total of 32 pieces on the board with each side having sixteen pieces. There are eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, one king, and one queen on each side. The most difficult move is that of the knight. The bishop can only move diagonally; the rooks can move on files and ranks, and the queen can be moved in any way. The king may also advance in any direction but only one stride at a time. He believes that chess is a mental game, and he plays it with concentration and enjoyment. Chess is beneficial in increasing focus, dedication and memory.

Achievements

Advik became the youngest FIDE-rated player in Rajasthan at an age of just six years and nine months. Additionally, he took part in four grandmaster chess tournaments in Pune, placing first twice, third once, and fourth once. Additionally, he has taken home several awards from district, state, and national chess competitions. In the national school tournament, he competed on behalf of Rajasthan and was placed eleventh, earning a cash reward and a medal.

A Bit More

Advik is working hard and honing his chess skills in order to represent Rajasthan at the national level and to represent India at the Asian Games the following year. Advik finds inspiration and motivation in the saying, "If you see a good move, then go for a better one." He says you can do anything in life if you work hard and are completely dedicated to your task.