Winning a national title is never easy, but bouncing back from a late-round defeat to clinch the championship demands a champion’s mindset. In this candid conversation, 36th National Girls Under-17 Champion WIM Prishita Gupta opens up about handling high-stakes pressure, the mentors behind her growth, and her journey from a neighborhood library to the top of the podium.
Interview with National Under-17 Girls Champion Prishita Gupta
Devansh Singh: How does it feel to win your 1st U-17 National Title?
Prishita Gupta: It feels amazing. I feel very confident after winning this title because all of my games were extremely tough. In every game, every move felt like it had to be right, and there was no room for error.
Devansh: After 8 rounds, you were leading the tournament by a full point, but you suffered a loss against Kirthika B in the 9th round. How did you manage to come back from that loss?
Prishita: After I lost, I was very upset, not just because of the defeat, but because I felt I hadn't played to my full potential. I felt that if I had prepared a bit better, I wouldn't have lost. After the game, I felt like I had lost motivation, but talking to my parents made me realize that I had entered the tournament with the primary goal of simply playing good games. Moreover, since I had a one-point lead earlier, I was still in the race for a top-three finish, which gave me a major motivation boost.
Devansh: Which game was the most important in your pursuit of the Championship?
Prishita: In my opinion, my 10th-round game against Saranya Devi Narahari was the most important because it was a must-win match to stay in contention for first place. Coming right after the defeat against Kirthika, winning that game was also crucial for my confidence.
Devansh: I saw IM Siddhanth Gaikwad, GM Shyam Sundar, and many more congratulating you after your achievement. Can you tell us about their roles in your chess career?
Prishita: I have been working with Siddhant Sir for four years, and I believe he has played a major role in the growth of my chess career. I won my first National Under-11 title in 2022 under his guidance. Since then, we have worked extensively on various openings, calculation, and other technical aspects of the game.
Under the coaching of FM Siddhant Gaikwad, I performed well in a lot of tournaments:
Gold in U-11 Nationals in 2022
Bronze medal in the Western Asian Youth U-12 Chess Championship 2023
Gold medal in the Commonwealth U-14 Girls Chess Championship 2023
Gold medal in the National Sub-junior U-15 Chess Championship 2024
Gold medal in the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025
Best Women player in the Commonwealth Blitz Chess Championship 2025
Gold medal in Asian Youth Rapid (U-16)Girls Chess Championship 2025
I have been working with Shyam Sir for six months and am learning a lot from his tournament experience. He allowed me to play in one of the strongest events in the world, the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship, where I played against players like GM Koneru Humpy and GM Lei Tingjie. That taught me a great deal about handling pressure against seasoned players.
I have also been training with WGM Aarthie Ma'am for three years. From her, I have learned a lot about maintaining patience in equal positions and handling them effectively. We have also done a lot of psychological work together. I am very grateful to my coaches, and I hope to make them proud in the future.
Chola Chess is also constantly supporting me in my journey to become a better player every day. In my success at Chola Chess Academy, under the coaching and guidance of R. B. Ramesh Sir, I jumped in the Elo rating by 400 points in August 2025
Devansh: Can you share your favourite game of the tournament?
Prishita: For me, the game against Nihira in round 4 was the toughest game, and I had a lot of fun finding new ideas and ways to try to take the initiative in an equal position.
Devansh: When did your chess journey begin, and what initially drew you to the game?
Prishita: I started playing chess when I was six years old. As a child, I loved reading books and often visited a library near my house. One day, the library introduced chess classes. My mother enrolled me, thinking it would be a nice hobby. However, after just two or three classes, I became deeply interested in the game and started performing well.
Later, my school teacher noticed that I was playing chess and suggested to my mother that I join a professional academy if I was serious about it. Acting on her advice, my mother enrolled me in Brain Games Chess Academy in Model Town under the guidance of Mr. Karun Duggal Sir and Savitri Joshi Ma'am.
Prishita was the former World no 1 in the U-15 Girls category from August 2025 to January 2026.
Devansh: What was your target going into the tournament?
Prishita: My goal going into the tournament was to finish in the top three and play as well as possible.
Devansh: What's your next target now?
Prishita: This is actually my 6th National title, and my next goal is to achieve the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title.
From learning her first moves at a neighborhood library to lifting her sixth national trophy, WIM Prishita Gupta’s journey is a testament to consistency, hard work, and the right mentorship. We wish Prishita the very best as she continues her march toward the Woman Grandmaster title!
