At 12, this Gurgaon girl is Haryana’s chess champion

Tayal defeated 23-year-old Snigdha Goyal from Sonepat to win the title. The 5th Haryana state women chess championship 2016 was organised on June 4 and 5

Twelve-year-old Navya Tayal from Gurgaon has become Haryana’s women chess champion by clinching the state women chess championship 2016 in the open category that culminated in Jhajhar on Sunday.

Navya Tayal, astudent of class 7, defeated a 19-year-old player to win the Haryana women’s chess title in the open category. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Tayal, a Class 7 student of Delhi Public School, Sector 45, competed with the contenders three times her age to clinch the title. She secured the first position in the championship by winning 4.5 out of 5 points.

After the feat, she will now represent Haryana and rub shoulders with the players of other states at the National woman challenger to be held in Chennai between June 17 and 25.

In the final game held on Sunday, Tayal defeated 19-year-old Snigdha Goyal from Sonepat to win the title. The 5th Haryana state women chess championship 2016 was organised by Haryana Chess Association in association with Bahadurgarh Chess Foundation at Omaxe Heaven Club in Jhajhar on June 4 and 5.

Tayal has been playing chess since she was in fourth standard. Her elder brother Chirag Tayal, a Class 9 student at the same school, is also a chess player.

“I was inspired to play chess by my brother,” said Navya.

“It is a proud moment for us that our children are excelling in sports along with studies,” her parents said.

“Now, she and next three runners-up in the championship will compete at the national championship to be held later this month in Chennai,” said Naresh Sharma, general secretary of The Haryana Chess Association.

The other three are Riya Ghamija from Gurgaon and Snigdha Goyal and Komal Dahiya from Sonepat.