14-year-old Kalyani Sirin from Kerala: A chess genius in making

Kodungallur: Young chess prodigy Kalyani Sirin is making history in the world of chess. Drawing inspiration from early lessons taught by her brothers and other elders, the 14-year-old has made a name for herself on the international stage.

Kalyani recently returned from Sri Lanka, where she clinched gold medals in the Commonwealth Chess Championship in the Under-20 Girls Standard, Blitz, and Women’s Rapid events.

Born to Pullut Naikulam natives Sirin and Dhanya, Kalyani is currently a 9th-grade student at Kodungallur Kunjikkutty Thampuratty Memorial Government Girls Higher Secondary School. With a FIDE rating of 2,221 points, she is ranked fourth in the world in the women's under-14 category and second in India. She has also earned the Women’s FIDE Master title.

Kalyani’s list of achievements is impressive. In 2022, she was named the best woman player at the KIIT International Chess Festival held in Odisha and won the sub-junior level at the Kerala State School Championship in both 2022 and 2023.

Initially trained by masters Raghunathan Menon and EP Nirmal, Kalyani is now training under Grandmaster Stany GA. She is the granddaughter of veteran CPI leader VK Gopi and has a younger sibling, Gopika, who is studying in Class 4.