The Economic Times

Savitha Shri's father left his job in Singapore to support her chess journey, pawned family jewellery; now she replaces Grandmaster Harika in India's 2026 Chess Olympiad women's team

Nineteen-year-old Savitha Shri joins India's Chess Olympiad team for the upcoming event. Her journey began by observing her elder brother play chess at home. Financial hardships saw her family pawn jewellery and her father quit his job abroad. Savitha now replaces Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli in the national women's team. She is set for the biggest challenge of her career in Samarkand.