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STAVENGER: VISWANATHAN Anand likened her to a 'star'. Swayams Mishra, a popular Indian coach, called her 'very talented'. The '64 Squares Initiative' are part funding her every move across

the globe. Group E4, an Anand-backed campaign where Indian families from around the world support young chess players, funds her drive to the top.

Meet Charvi A, a 11-year-old who's already marrying off-the-board dedication with on-the-board precision. An age-group world champion, Charvi, currently featuring at the Norway Open

tournament in the city, is showing an unnatural appetite for elite-level competition now. Her clarity of thought is already so clear she only goes to school for her mid-term and annual

exams. She's also secretive about who her current coach is.  

Rated 2056 in Classical, the WFM (Women FIDE Master) already has a laundry list of accomplishments to her name. In fact, in 2024 she was bestowed with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal

Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu (India's highest civilian award given to children).

Behind Charvi's rise is the tale of a mother's sacrifice, parents' willingness to allow their only child to specialise in chess at such a young age and chess' finest in the country coming

together as a team to fuel the dream of an individual.  

The Bengaluru-based Charvi picked up chess as a five-year-old at a day-care centre. She started badgering her chess agnostic parents about how the game worked. For a period of time, Akhila

and Anil Kumar turned to YouTube to understand the game — both of them didn't even know the pieces moved — to keep pace with their daughter. She soon outgrew both her parents. That's when

they realised the need for proper coaching.

The parents took the help of Mishra, whose guidance helped the women's team win gold at the Olympiad in 2024. However, because Mishra wasn't able to give his undivided attention to Charvi,

the parents decided to appoint another coach, whose identity Akhila refused to reveal. "I'm not too sure if I can reveal the name of her current coach," her mother says in an interaction (RB

Ramesh and wife, Aarthie, have also worked with her previously). This level of secrecy is common at the top-end but it is rare at this level.  

It's one of the many things that stood out during and after the interaction with Akhila, who had to give up her a day job in an IT company to be able to travel to events with Charvi. "I gave

up my job 18 months ago to travel with her full-time," her mother said.

Inside the playing hall, Charvi, whose head just about clears the table, was all focussed. Outside, Akhila wore the all too familiar expression of an Indian parent outside an exam hall. "I

don't really understand the game," she said. "I don't even ask her how the results went, I can just make it from her body language and expression when she walks out."  

One moment after Saturday's match was enough to capture the attention Charvi pays to her craft. As soon as her game finished, she walked up to her mother for a cursory greeting. Post that,

she scooted off to meet her opponent (Hong Kong's 19-year-old FM Niilo Nissinen) to talk about the match in a more relaxed environment. "It's something she religiously does after every match

if the opponent knows English," her mother said. "It can go on for 30 minutes."  

In 2025 alone, Charvi, whose parents hail from Hassan, has featured in tournaments at Austria, Hungary and Uzbekistan apart from the ongoing meet in Norway. While she has returned mixed

results, its obvious that she's one of the next big things in Indian chess. "She's one of our brightest stars," said Satya Prabhakar, the man who started Group E4. "She has an attacking

style but she is now developing positional discipline as well," said Mishra, who's now overseeing the progress of another of his wards in the Norway Open event.