Kolkata: Mrittika Mallick is going from strength to strength. Seven months after winning the U-17 Girls’ National Chess Championship in Jalandhar, the girl from Chinshura, Hooghly, annexed the U-15 title too that concluded at Jalgaon on Thursday. Interestingly, she was the national champion in the U-14 category also, in 2022 and was the runner-up in the U-16 meet.
It was 1-2 for Bengal in the event as Sneha Halder came second, just half-a-point behind Mallick.
“I think this (U-15) title will be special for me since this was the last time that I was eligible to participate in it,” Mallick told TOI while celebrating her 16th birthday away from home on Saturday. “This win will open doors for me to represent the country in Asian and world-level tournaments,” she added.
Top-seeded Mallick, who trained at the Alekhine Chess Club before joining Dibyendu Barua’s academy, finished on nine points with eight wins, two draws and one loss. “I think my wins in Round Nine and Ten ensured the title as I went into the final round with a good one-point lead,” she stated. Although Halder won her last-round match, a draw was enough for Mallick to claim the title.
Hailing from a middle-class family with no sporting background, Mallick picked up the game from her neighbourhood at the age of eight. She made rapid strides in quick time as she finished fourth in the World Youth U-14 Championships in 2022 and won bronze and silver in the Asian Youth championships in the same age-group in standard and blitz categories respectively.
Mallick’s father Arindam was happy with her youngest daughter’s achievement and hopes for some sponsorship now to fulfil her dreams of becoming the first Women’s Grandmaster from eastern India.