How the Queens of Braille Chess are making their mark on Indian chess
Indian chess has produced many Grandmasters, including current World Champion D Gukesh and Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh. Every year, more young talents continue to emerge across the country. But away from the spotlight are achievers like Himanshi Rathi and Sanskruti More. They play Braille chess, a format that relies on touch, memory, and deep focus. Their journeys have been shaped by challenges and resilience. They want to bring change and greater recognition to the game they love. Read their story and discover a side of Indian chess that deserves to be seen. Photo: BBC
Queens of Braille Chess
On a chessboard they cannot see, Himanshi Rathi and Sanskruti More strategise and compete with precision that has taken them to the international podium. In an interview with the BBC ahead of the Indian Sportswoman of the Year Awards 2025, the two Braille chess players open up about losing sight, finding purpose, and using sport as a platform to demand greater equality and recognition for visually impaired athletes in India.
“Once you say that you can play blind chess, 60% of people will have the same question: how? But when they see us playing, they say that you are very inspiring,” they shared.
Himanshi and Sanskruti cannot see, but their love for chess has never been hindered by their disability. They compete in Braille chess, a tactile version of the game in which black pieces are raised and marked with a dot while white pieces are flat, allowing players to distinguish them through touch. Each piece is fixed securely onto the board so it does not fall during play. Through memory, calculation and touch, they visualise the board and anticipate moves, competing at the highest levels of para sport.
In 2023, Himanshi and Sanskruti, along with teammate Vriti Jain, won a bronze medal at the Asian Para Games — only the second Indian women’s team in history to achieve this milestone. Himanshi also claimed an individual bronze medal. The reception that followed was unforgettable. Himanshi compared it to a soldier returning from the border after war, welcomed home with rallies and celebrations. “After that medal, I cut a lot of cakes,” she recalled.
For 26-year-old Himanshi, who lives in Ahmedabad, the journey to that podium was shaped by resilience. She lost her vision due to retinitis pigmentosa just a month before her Class 12 board examinations. The sudden loss left her shaken. “After two days, I started crying,” she said. Yet chess, introduced to her after she moved from a sighted school to a blind school in Class 5, became both anchor and ambition.
Sanskruti More’s journey began in Satara, Maharashtra, where her mother encouraged her to take up Braille chess, believing sport would help her daughter face the world with confidence. Her family even relocated to ensure better opportunities. The gamble paid off. Following her success in chess, Sanskruti secured a government job as a district officer at just 19.
India may now be regarded as a global chess powerhouse, but Braille chess remains relatively unknown in the country, with Russia and European nations traditionally dominating the format. Himanshi and Sanskruti want to change that narrative. For them, the fight is not just about medals but about equality and visibility.
Candidly sharing their thoughts about how people with visual impairments are often treated with distance or doubt, they believe that sport offers a powerful platform to challenge those biases. “We can fight for equality there,” they added, noting that increasing accessibility and emerging technologies are gradually opening new pathways.
The BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Awards 2025 will be hosted in New Delhi on Monday, February 16. The nominees are Divya Deshmukh, Harmanpreet Kaur (cricket), Smriti Mandhana (cricket), Suruchi Singh (shooting) and Jyothi Yarraji (athletics).