Harika Dronavalli (born 12 January 1991) is an Indian chess player who holds the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM). She has won three bronze medals in the Women's World Chess Championship, in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Harika was honored with the Arjuna Award for the year 2007–08 by the government of India.[1] In 2016, she won the FIDE Women's Grand Prix event at Chengdu, China and rose up from world no. 11 to world no. 5 in FIDE women's ranking. In 2019, she was awarded the Padma Shri for her contributions towards the field of sports.[2]

Harika Dronavalli
CountryIndia
Born (1991-01-12) 12 January 1991 (age 33)
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
TitleGrandmaster (2011)
FIDE rating2503 (March 2024)
Peak rating2543 (November 2016)
Medal record
Representing  India
Women's World Chess Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Sochi Individual
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2022 Hangzhou Women's team
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Guangzhou Women's Individual

Early life edit

Harika was born to Ramesh and Swarna Dronavalli on 12 January 1991 in Guntur where she attended Sri Venkateswara Bala Kuteer school[3] Her father works as a deputy executive engineer at a Panchayat Raj subdivision in Mangalagiri.[4] She started playing chess at a very young age and won a medal in the under-9 national championship. She followed it up with a silver medal in the world youth chess championship for under-10 girls. She subsequently became a student of coach NVS Ramaraju who refined her game. She became the second Indian woman to become a grandmaster, after Koneru Humpy.

Personal life edit

She married Hyderabad-based Karteek Chandra in August 2018.[5] Her elder sister, Anusha, married Telugu film director K. S. Ravindra.[6]

Achievements edit

2021 edit

  • Won Silver Medal at 2021 FIDE Women's World Team Championship.
  • Won Bronze Medal at FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2021.

2019 edit

2017 edit

  • Bronze Medal at the Women's World Chess Championship, 10 February – 4 March, Tehran, Iran.[7][8]

2016 edit

  • FIDE Women Grand Prix, Khanty Mansiysk - 5th position
  • FIDE Women Grand Prix, Chengdu - Gold Medal.
  • Asian Women Team Chess Championship, UAE - Member Indian Team
    • Individual Gold medal in Rapid format.
    • Individual Silver Medal on Top Board in Classical format.
    • Team won Bronze Medal in Rapid format.

2015 edit

  • World Women's Online Blitz Championship, Rome - Gold Medal.
  • Asian Rapid Women Chess Championship, UAE - Bronze Medal.
  • World Women Team Chess Championship, China - Member Indian Team
    • Individual Silver Medal in Second Board
    • Team stood 4th place.
  • World Women's Chess Championship, Sochi - Bronze Medal.
  • FIDE Women Grand Prix, Sharjah - Bronze Medal.

2014 edit

  • Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Iran - Member Indian Team
    • Team won Silver medal in Standard format
    • Individual Gold Medal on Top Board
    • Team won Silver medal in Rapid format

2012 edit

  • World Women's Chess Championship, Khanty-Mansysk - Bronze Medal.
  • Asian Women Team Chess Championship, China - Member Indian Team
    • Team won Bronze Medal
  • Women Chess Olympiad, Turkey - Member Indian Team
    • Team got 4th place (best result in Indian Women Chess History.)
  • World Women Team Chess Championship, Turkey, - Member Indian Team
    • Individual Silver Medal in Second Board
    • Team stood 4th place.

2011 edit

  • 2011 Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament, Hangzhou, China[9] - scored 5.5/9 and secured her third GM norm (The GM title was conferred by the FIDE Congress 2011[10] 82nd in Kraków, Poland in October.)
  • Asian Women Chess Championship, Iran - Gold Medal.
  • Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, South Africa - Silver Medal.
  • Grandmaster (GM) Title - Second Woman to Become Grandmaster in India.

2010 edit

  • Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, New Delhi - Gold Medal.
  • 16th Asian Games, Women's Individual Chess Category, Guangzhou China - Bronze Medal.

2009 edit

  • Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Kolkata - Captain Indian Women's Team
    • Team won Silver Medal
    • Individual Gold Medal on Top Board.
  • III Asian Indoor Games, Vietnam
    • Women Individual Rapid Chess - Bronze Medal.
    • Member in Team Blitz Chess - Bronze Medal.
    • Team Rapid Chess - Bronze Medal.

2008 edit

  • World Junior Girls Chess Championship, Turkeym - Gold Medal.
  • Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Visakhapatnam - Captain Indian Team
    • Team won Silver Medal
    • Individual Silver Medal on Top Board.

2007 edit

  • Men International Master
  • 2nd Asian Indoor Games, Macau
    • Rapid Chess Individual Women - Gold Medal.
    • Classical Chess Individual Women - Bronze Medal.
  • 2nd Asian Indoor Games, Macau - Member Team India
    • Rapid Chess Team - Gold Medal.
    • Classical Chess Team - Silver Medal.
    • Blitz Chess Team - Silver Medal.
  • Asian Zonal Women Chess Championship, Bangladesh - Gold Medal.
  • Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, New Delhi - Gold Medal.

2006 edit

  • World Youth Championship U-18 Girls, Georgia - Gold Medal.
  • Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, Mumbai - Gold Medal.

2005 edit

  • Asian Junior Girls Championship, Bikaner - Silver Medal.

2004 edit

  • Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Title - Youngest Woman Grandmaster in Asian Continent.
  • Commonwealth U-18 Girls Chess Championship, Mumbai - Gold Medal.
  • Asian U-18 Girls Chess Championship, Iran - Bronze Medal.
  • World Youth Championship U-14 Girls, Greece - Gold Medal.

2003 edit

  • Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, Mumbai - Silver Medal.
  • Asian Women Chess Championship, Calicut - Silver Medal.
  • Woman International Master (WIM) Title - Youngest Woman International Master in Asian Continent.
  • Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Jodhpur -Member Indian Team
    • Team won Bronze Medal.
    • Individual Gold Medal on 4th Board.

2002 edit

  • Asian U-18 Girls Chess Championship, Bikaner - Gold Medal.
  • Asian Under-12 Girls Chess Championship, Iran - Gold Medal.
  • World Youth Chess Championship U-12 Girls, Greece - Bronze Medal.

2001 edit

  • World Youth Chess Championship U-12 Girls, Spain - Silver Medal
  • Asian Under-12 Girls Chess Championship, Bikaner - Silver Medal

2000 edit

  • World Youth Chess Championship U-10 Girls, Spain - Silver Medal

National level achievements edit

  • 2009 - National Women Chess Championship, Chennai - Gold Medal.
  • Won 16 Medals in National Level Tournaments including Women 'A' Championship, Women 'B' Championship, National Junior Girls and Sub-Junior Girls Titles during these 16 years.

Other achievements edit

  • Chess Player of the Year - 2016 and 2017 by The Times of India (TOISA Annual Awards)
  • Featured by Verve magazine in 2017 amongst the top 40 popular women sportspersons of the year[11]

References edit

  1. ^ "Harika's parents on cloud nine". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Here is the complete list of Padma awardees 2019- The New Indian Express". Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  3. ^ Subrahmanyam, V. V. (3 August 2011). "Calculated moves". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Harika's parents on cloud nine". The Hindu. 6 August 2008. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Harika Dronavalli's Wonderful Wedding". 30 August 2018.
  6. ^ Jain, Rupam (7 June 2015). "I am uncool, but I'm cool with that: Dronavalli Harika". The Times of India.
  7. ^ Administrator. "Harika, Dronavalli FIDE Chess Profile - Players Arbiters Trainers". ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  8. ^ "World Women's Chess Championship: Harika Dronavalli won bronze and shockingly, India didn't even cheer". Firstpost. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  9. ^ Administrator. "2011 Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament September 2011 China FIDE Chess Tournament report". ratings.fide.com.
  10. ^ Administrator. "FIDE Title Applications (GM, IM, WGM, WIM, IA, FA, IO)". ratings.fide.com.
  11. ^ Alter, Jamie (20 March 2017). "Mahindra Scorpio TOISA: Harika Dronavalli is Chess Player of the Year". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 August 2017.

External links edit

  Media related to Harika Dronavalli at Wikimedia Commons

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Women's Asian Chess Champion
2011
Succeeded by