“Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.” 

Well, this is the most pertinent adage by Ralph Charell for our Chess Champion - Aditri Shome. The 11-year-old has been an undefeated champion of GIIS Ahmedabad. Through her immense dedication, hard work, and perseverance, she has proved her mettle in chess tournaments. This time, Aditri stood in 5th position in the MPL 35th National U-11 Chess Championship 2022. GIIS Ahmedabad is extremely proud of the achievements owned by the young brainy. 

Under the girls category, Aditri Shome obtained 8.5 marks. In the 11th round, she defeated Tamil Nadu’s Shree S, which led her to the fifth position in the national chess competition. Mr. Bhavesh Patel, Vice President of the Gujarat State Chess Association (GSCA), congratulated the little chess champion and believes that she has the brightest future like Judit Polgar. 

Aditri has made her parents, school, and state proud. She will definitely make India proud someday. She performed extremely well in the last game and we are really happy that she gave a tough competition in the nationals. She believes that one should relax, enjoy and work hard for success. “The more you think about the result, the more stressful it will be for you. Believe in your hard work and practice as much as you can” - is the only message Aditri has for peers.

Her father, Mr. Samik Shome appreciated GIIS Ahmedabad for all the support provided to Aditri. He said, “I am thankful to the class teacher, subject teachers, coordinator, and Principal for sharing all the details of the topics taught in the class to such an extent that Aditri does not lag behind. With the help of GIIS Ahmedabad teachers and staff, she has scored overall 89.5% in the half-yearly exams.” The chess player, who aspires to become an engineer, practices chess 5 to 6 hours a day along with her studies.

When asked whether she strictly follows a timetable, her father said, “We have not scheduled a particular timing for her, but usually she spares 1 or 2 hours to complete her homework and classwork.”

While sharing her forthcoming tournaments, Aditiri’s mother said that “After nationals, she is now thoroughly focusing on World Cadets Chess Championship, Asian Youth Chess Championship, Western Asia Chess Championship, and CommonWealth Chess Championship in the Under-12 category. In 2023, she will appear for the state, national, and other corporate tournaments.”

In the past two years, Aditri has played state, national and international tournaments. She secured 14th position in the Asian Youth Girls International Competition and participated in Western Asia Youth U-10 Chess Championship which was organized in Colombo, Sri Lanka. For her excellent achievements and to motivate her for a bright future, Aditri has also been awarded the Swami Vivekananda Centre of Excellence Scholarship by the government of Gujarat.

Congratulations and blessings to Aditri for her future tournaments!