Beating Odds
Chess player Tania Sachdev on what keeps her going
Unlike chess, there is no black and white in Tania Sachdev’s life when it comes to winning and losing as failures give her the power to push herself more. She holds the FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) titles of international master and woman grandmaster. Introduced to chess at six, the 32-year-old Arjuna Awardee winner, who is also a Commonwealth Women’s Champion and Red Bull athlete, seeks repose in music when her mind is muddled before a tournament.
How did you get introduced to chessing?
I vividly remember my father teach my brother chess from a handbook because he did not know how to play himself. We had been gifted a chessboard and I remember standing at the door and watching him teach my brother the rules. I was very intrigued to see what this game was about because it was not like playing ball or involved running around. It also looked interesting because it wasn’t like any other board game because I would see my brother and father deliberate between every point. I wanted to learn it as well. I don’t think my brother was interested so he left but I sat there, listening to instructions. That ended there but after a couple of days I went up to my father and asked him if we could go back to the game
and play another round. He was quite surprised because it was an unusual request coming from a six-year-old. I was a competitive and curious child so, he sat me down and we played again.
A foolproof tip for women to succeed at the game
The skills that you develop if you spend half an hour playing the game are essential. It forces you to pull yourself out of the comfort zone and develop skills such as the ability to visualise, calculate, to logically come to a decision, to understand what’s going on and to perceive the situation better. I can tell you about that the only foolproof tip is to work really hard at the game. Chess is a very difficult sport because you’re constantly challenging your mind.
What are the things one can fall back despite failure?
The one thing I have learnt to fall back despite difficult tournaments is my inner, mental strength. I believe that there is a lot of power in adversity and failure. Playing teaches you that you will lose, you will fall, and you will miss the ball and get run out. These things will happen but it doesn’t matter as long as you stand up and fight it out the next day again. Your weakest moments go on to make the strongest version of yourself. You have to learn from your mistakes. The unders-tanding that there is so much good in what we term as failure, it gives people the power to move on.
How has chess contributed to your growth and personality?
I had to miss a lot of school and college, and I didn’t have a normal growing up years. At that time, it seemed hard because you miss not having many friends and not being out as much. You spend a lot of time practising but when I look back, I feel it was the best education to deal with good and bad games. My personality is built upon the skills I have developed out of the game, the exposure I have got, and the way I have learnt to deal with people. You’re an athlete but you also are a private person and you have learnt to build this wall so that things don’t distract you while you’re playing. Whatever you become is the result of the way you’ve grown up. I love everything about the game and what comes with it.