In a sport where young talents are noticed early, Vantika took her time. But in Budapest, she stepped up to win individual gold on her board as the Indian women celebrated victory in the team event.
Source: Indian Express
Playing on the fourth board for India at the Chess Olympiad, Vantika Agarwal was essential in helping the women’s team win the gold medal—a historic achievement that matched the men’s team gold and made them only the third team ever to achieve this joint triumph.
In Budapest, Vantika often found herself in high-pressure situations. The Indian team decided to have R Vaishali play on the second board for seven games with the black pieces, which was a challenging task in such a significant tournament. When Vaishali struggled in those matches, it was up to Vantika to step up. However, she also faced difficulties during her match against Poland.
“When I lost my match against my Polish opponent, I was really heartbroken. I take losses very hard, and if you saw that game, I was completely winning. On a normal day, if I were in that position, I would win 10 out of 10 times. But then the next day, when the team needed a draw against the USA, I won my match,” Vantika shared with the Indian Express. “There was an age gap, but we all had great conversations and connected well. If someone lost a game, everyone motivated that person and reminded them that if today wasn’t a good day, tomorrow would be better.”
Vantika Agarwal: A Journey of Perseverance in Chess
The 21-year-old, who recently graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi, didn’t start playing chess at a very young age. While most ‘prodigies’ begin early, Vantika’s mother was surprised by the ages of the children competing when she took her to a Delhi State tournament for the first time.
“I actually took them to the Delhi State Championship. Vantika was seven and a half, and Vishesh (her brother) was ten and a half. I saw kids as young as three or four, and they were already skilled at chess. Before that, I only knew of Vishwanathan Anand. I thought maybe only adults played chess,” says Sangeeta Agrawal, a chartered accountant who now travels full-time with her daughter for tournaments.
At that time, Sangeeta believed her son was the more gifted of the two children. Light-hearted jokes would often be exchanged around the family table.
“When my son and Vantika were growing up, I thought my son was incredibly intelligent. He had a unique level of intelligence and memory. We would jokingly call Vantika ‘buddhu,’ but she remained motivated,” Sangeeta recalled.
Although Vantika didn’t see results in her early tournaments, she remained interested in chess and persevered. In one of her subsequent tournaments, this time with a coach supporting her, things began to improve.
Sangeeta remembered how she would get messages throughout the day from the coach. 1.0 points became 2.0 and the numbers kept creeping up until she had to go to her daughter’s tournament the next day. Once over there, parents of other children started to congratulate her and called Vantika a prodigy.
At that time, she started playing with 13-year-olds instead of her age group. Soon a 1200-rated player started beating 1600-rated players in the open category. But her ratings would fluctuate often. A pattern was emerging where Vantika would win multiple matches but somehow would miss out on the gold medals. At the Asian Juniors, she missed out on gold in a tie-breaker. Then in another event, she lost the gold medal position because she was up on points but the tournament was based on total wins. In 2019, she had as many as six silver medals.
When the pandemic happened in 2020 and sports came to a halt globally, chess bucked the trend and rose in popularity. Players transitioned to streamers and suddenly a sport that has been around for over 1500 years had a new lease of life. After the pandemic subsided, over-the-board chess returned with a vengeance. Vantika would play 28 tournaments from 2022 to the Chess Olympiad in 2024, according to her mother.
This was also the time when she was completing her degree at Delhi University, so she had to manage her exams and preparations as well.
“During her sixth-semester exams, she was also participating in the Tata Steel Chess tournament. We knew she would miss one exam, but if she missed two, she would have to repeat that semester. So I told her I would help her study on the bus and during the commute. Before the exam, I advised her to just write whatever she could (it was for a Digital Marketing credit), and she managed to pass that exam and later took the one she had missed. Like every Delhi kid, she was aiming for a 99%,” Sangeeta shared.
Now that she has completed her degree, Vantika has fully dedicated herself to chess. Previously, she enjoyed watching Korean TV shows and playing table tennis with her family at home. However, those moments away from chess have become rare. Recently, while the family was having dinner together in their living room, Vantika was quiet for most of the meal, lost in her thoughts. Then, out of the blue, she began discussing Magnus Carlsen and an upcoming match of his.
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