VISAKHAPATNAM: Child chess prodigy from the City of Destiny Alana Meenakshi has become world number one in Under 11 girls chess as per the FIDE ratings of May 2022. She achieved the milestone with an ELO rating of 1,829. Alana is the only player from India who figured in 10 top rankings in the U-11 girls’ chess category. She was earlier world number 2 in U-10 girls chess.
Incidentally, US player Megan Althea slipped to second slot with 1,811 ELO points. Alana, who got 1,829 ELO points, climbed to number one. Aparna Kolagatla, mother of Alana, told TNIE that they were happy that she became the world number one in U-11 girls chess.
Alana is now a woman candidate master (WCM) and will be eyeing for woman FIDE master (WFM) as a series of tournaments, including world chess championship which has been shifted from Russia to India due to the war, are in the pipeline.
Alana started playing international chess in 2018 when she was seven. She won gold in the Asian schools U-7 championship. Earlier, she won gold in the Indian nationals U-10 girls championship conducted by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) in July last.