Gujarat’s Pragnika Vaka Becomes U-7 World Chess Champion
Pragnika Vaka from Surat, Gujarat, has been crowned World Champion in the Under-7 girls’ category at the 2025 FIDE World School Chess Championship held in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia, from March 20-28. She achieved a flawless score of 9 out of 9, becoming the only Indian gold medalist across all age groups.
India’s Strong Performance at the Championship
A total of 22 Indian players participated in the competition across six age categories (U-7, U-9, U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17). Apart from Pragnika’s gold, India secured two silver medals—Bijesh Divi in the U-11 girls’ category and Om Esh Gottumukala in the U-7 open category.
A Rising Chess Star Inspired by Family
Pragnika’s chess journey began by watching her elder sister, Varenya, an accomplished chess player in Gujarat. According to their father, Ramanadh, Pragnika developed an interest during the COVID-19 pandemic and made rapid progress within just 1.5 years.
While Varenya has won district and state championships, she has yet to achieve national success. Surprisingly, Pragnika surpassed expectations, winning state, finishing as national runner-up, and now securing gold in her first international tournament.
A Confident Champion
Pragnika’s coach and father expected a top-five finish, given the presence of strong competitors from Serbia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. However, her 22-move victory over India’s U-7 national champion, Shreyanshi Jain, in the eighth round secured her championship title.
Training to Handle Pressure
Ramanadh emphasized early exposure to competitive environments. He took his daughters to Mumbai every Sunday, where they competed in open tournaments against boys, helping them adapt to pressure and sharpen their skills.
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