Divi Bijesh is a nine-year-old chess prodigy from Thiruvananthapuram who sees 10 moves ahead in the geometry of sixty-four squares — knows when to castle out of trouble, when a knight belongs on the rim, and when it’s ready to leap into the fight, when a pawn is just a pawn, and when it’s the start of a winning plan. She reads the chessboard like a pro, which is why it came as no surprise when she was awarded in January the Woman Candidate Master title by the international chess body FIDE, thus becoming the youngest girl from the state to achieve this distinction.
“It was my son Devnath Bijesh who first started playing chess. Divi joined in as a companion to him. She was just seven then. When we went for a national competition for my son, we thought of letting her participate too, just to give it a try. It was completely unexpected, she ended up playing in the National Under-7 Girls Championship. At that time, she had only just started training, but still managed to finish as runner-up. That was a real turning point. We realised then that she had a natural talent, and decided to give her professional coaching,” says Bijesh S, father of Divi.
From that moment, she began her journey with the chessboard and pieces, a journey that has since earned her over 60 titles across international, national, and state-level competitions. Recently, Divi brought glory not only to Kerala but to the entire country at the FIDE World Cadet & Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships in Rhodes, Greece.
Competing in the Under-10 girls category, she outshone her peers in the Rapid format, scoring an impressive 10 out of 11 points to win India’s only gold medal at the tournament. Her success continued with a silver in the Blitz section.
“I’m so happy to be part of the competition and win medals for my country. It was an amazing experience,” says Divi with the thrill of achievement. A fourth grader at Alan Feldman Public School in Thiruvananthapuram, Divi juggles her globe-trotting chess career with school life and still manages to stay ahead in class.
There are two types of tournaments. The first is the Selection tournaments, which offer no financial rewards, only certificates, and the honour of representing the country. The second type is organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and is open to all players, including Grandmasters. These tournaments measure an individual’s talent.
“We have mostly participated in Selection tournaments, but now we are planning to shift our focus to these higher-level tournaments,” Bijesh explains. “Our next major goal is to compete in the upcoming World Cup in Georgia.”
“I don’t really get nervous when I play,” says Divi, with the calm of someone far older than nine. “I just enjoy it. I watch a lot of chess games online, especially those of Magnus Carlsen. He is my favourite player.”
Her father, Bijesh, who had a career in IT, made a life-changing decision to support Divi’s growing passion. He resigned from his job to accompany her to tournaments and has been without a steady income for the past eight months. “It’s a financially challenging period for us,” he admits. “At first, we thought it was just about learning the game. But when she started winning golds even at the international level, we didn’t want to hold her back. I quit my job to be by her side, but the expenses are overwhelming.”
Divi currently trains under coach Sreejith G S at Master Chess Academy, Manacaud. “I have been training Divi since 2022. She is an exceptionally talented child. I would even say she is gifted. What makes her stand out is not just her attacking style but her ability to shift gears when needed. She knows when to play sharp and when to stay solid, adapting to the demands of the game. That’s not something everyone can do. But talent alone is not enough in chess. It also takes hard work and commitment, and Divi has both.”
“Our sessions are two-and-a-half hours offline, and she also attends online classes. Whatever books or problems I give her, she comes back completing everything. The nine-year-old won the national championship in the Under-11 girls category at the tournament held in Hyderabad. That says everything about her ability,” Sreejith points out.
He further adds, “What she really needs now is strong sponsorship support. We have approached the government but haven’t received a response yet. As her coach, I’m also doing what I can on my side. These days, especially after Gukesh’s win, many kids are getting into chess. There’s so much talent out there, but most of them lack proper guidance, financial support, or encouragement from schools. In Divi’s case, she’s fortunate. Her parents are as passionate as she is, and her school is very supportive. The only missing piece is financial help. If she gets that, I believe she can scale up to the next level.”
Like every chess player, Divi dreams of becoming the world champion. It’s not just her ultimate goal, but also the dream of her father Bijesh and mother Prabha, who works at a private firm. While they know there are many steps ahead, they are all determined to see her reach that dream one day.