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The FIDE World Cadet Chess Championships 2025 held last month from September 22 to September 30 in Kazakhstan's Almaty, drew over 1,200 young prodigies from more than 90 nations, in a battlefield of 64 squares. India’s tryst in the tournament included one gold and two bronze medals overall with Kiyana Parihar and (8.5/11) and Sabartho Mani (8.5/11) winning in the latter in the U-10 Girls and U-10 Open respectively. In her game against USA’s Abigail Zhou, 10-year-old Sharvaanica AS etched her name alongside Indian Grandmasters Koneru Humoy and Divya Deshmukh.
Ensuring India’s only gold medal, Sharvaanica AS from Tamil Nadu emerged as the World Under-10 girls chess champion at the FIDE World Cadet Chess Championships 2025. Sharvaanica, reportedly called “Sharva” in her family, became the third Indian girl to conquer the U-10 category. Seeded modestly at around 1800 Elo but ranked world no. 3 in her age group, she stumbled out of the gates with a first-round loss to Kazakhstan's Zhetpis Symbat. Yet, what followed was a nine-game winning streak that stunned spectators and analysts alike, her victories included a crucial penultimate-round scalp over compatriot Vanshika Rawat, propelling her to sole lead.
When they announced my name, it felt like a dream: Sharvaanica AS
Facing Abigail Zhou in the final round on Tuesday, Sharvaanica AS played white in a tense Sicilian Defense and fought valiantly but faltered in the endgame, conceding a tough loss that dropped her to 9/11. On board two, Mongolia's Nandinjiguur Chinzorig, her closest rival, drew her game, also finishing at 9 points. Silver and bronze hung in the balance, but FIDE's tiebreak rules starting with direct encounters sealed Sharvaanica's fate gloriously. She had dismantled Chinzorig earlier in round seven with a flawless 7th-win-in-a-row performance, a game replayed endlessly on chess streams for its tactical brilliance.
“I was sad after losing the last game, but when they announced my name as champion, it felt like a dream,” Sharvaanica said post-ceremony. Sharvaanica’s victory earned her a direct entry to the 2026 FIDE World Cadet Championship, World Youth Chess Championship, World School Chess Championship, and Commonwealth Chess Championship, plus a ratings boost to chase the Woman FIDE Master title.
