Hyderabad’s Anaya Sharma wins gold at Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025

Eight-year-old Hyderabad chess prodigy Anaya Sharma won gold in the under-8 category at the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025 in Kuala Lumpur. An ELO 1600+ player, she trains at Maestro Chess Academy and aspires to become a Grandmaster

Hyderabad: Anaya Sharma of Hyderabad can well be the next big thing to happen in the world of chess from Telangana.

The eight-year-old Anaya, whose parents Gaurav Sharma and Aarti Bolaki are going all out to support her passion given the abundance of promise she has shown, won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025 held at Kuala Lumpur recently.

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Anaya dominated the girls’ under-8 category, outwitting strong opponents. She finished with an impressive score to clinch the honours, outsmarting higher-rated players along the way.

The young chess talent began her journey at the age of five at the Kalpataru Summer Camp, Ekagra, and is now training at the Maestro Chess Academy at Attapur in the city.

Anaya puts in a lot of effort to keep improving, training six to eight hours daily under the mentorship of Amitpal Singh.

“After proving her acumen at the State and National level, Anaya moved to the international arena representing India at the Under-8 World Cup held in Batumi, Georgia, in July 2025. Out of 200 participants, she finished seventh in her age group,” the proud parents recalled.

Anaya, now an ELO 1600+ player, is also keen to make a mark in academics and is one of the favourites of her school teaching staff. A fourth-standard student at Hyderabad Public School (Begumpet), she excels both on the 64 squares and in studies.

Like all chess players, Anaya is targeting to be a Grandmaster soon and is confident of achieving that landmark.

“I am grateful to my coach Amitpal Sir and fellow chess players for all their support,” she said, as she prepares for upcoming big events.

Her coach too is optimistic about Anaya making it big given her talent and willingness to keep improving. “Essentially, she has the spark,” he said.