DU’s chess champ: Making the right moves

She may seem like any other college student, but Tarini Goyal, a final-year Economics (Hons) student of Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), is quite a surprise package the minute the chessboard is set for a game! After a day full of classes interspersed with her leadership duties at the college’s Finance and Investment Cell, she sits down to dedicate hours to the game and gets up only after conquering it. And this is the spirit that recently led the 20-year-old to pocket her third win in Budapest, Hungary, which earned her the title of Woman International Master (WIM), awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

“Achieving the WIM title is an important step in my journey as it enables me to look for better opportunities and participate in higher-level tournaments,” says Goyal, who has already set another target for herself. “My next aim is to become a Woman Grand Master (WGM)! It’s going to take some time, given that I’m not in a position to focus singularly on chess. But, I’m up

My next aim is to become a Woman Grand Master (WGM). It’s going to take some time, given that I’m not in a position to focus singularly on chess. But, I’m up for the challenge! TARINI GOYAL, DU student

for the challenge,” adds the champ.

On her way to achieving the final norm, Goyal played three back-toback tournaments last month. During these, she defeated some international masters such as Raven Sturt of USA and Egor Bogdanov of Ukraine, while holding to a draw grand masters Gergely Aczel (Hungary) and Zlatko Ilincic (Serbia), among others. But her tryst with chess has won her matches as well as friends, in different parts of the world. “The dynamics I share with friends, coaches, and players in the chess world is quite different from the one I have with others. I think that’s what makes it all the more special,” says Goyal.

She started playing chess at the age of five, courtesy her elder sister, who would take lessons at that time. “I would sit beside my sister as a spectator. Eventually, I started learning the game. One of my earliest memories is of defeating my sister for the first time, after losing tonnes of games against her,” recalls Goyal, who maintains her 9.1 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in college.

The graduating student tells us she will truly miss her #CampusKeDin! “My time at SRCC has been full of exceptional experiences, and every year had its own set of successes and failures,” she shares.