“I’m Happy for Didi”

Aditya’s gold medal began long before Cape Town. It began at home, in the shadow and inspiration of his older sister.

Devanshi was the first in the family to start collecting medals. Aditya was not. In their early tournaments, she sometimes returned home with recognition while he did not.

His mother remembers asking whether he felt disappointed. His answer surprised her.

“I’m happy for Didi,” he said.

That response revealed something important about him. He could admire someone else’s success even while still waiting for his own.

Eventually, disappointment did arrive. After another competition in which Devanshi received a medal and he did not, Aditya began wondering whether he would ever receive one himself. His confusion came partly from seeing awards organised into different categories.

His mother used the moment to give him advice that would shape his approach to competition.

“Don’t think about age. Don’t think about gender. Don’t think about who is sitting in front of you,” she told him. “Work hard, do your best and try to win.”

He listened.

What followed was not an overnight transformation, but a gradual one built through books, online study, face-to-face coaching, practice games and the discipline to keep improving.

At home, chess was not always a formal exercise in strategy. At first, it was simply two siblings playing against each other, arguing, competing and learning.

Their mother wanted to turn that natural rivalry into something more constructive. Instead of allowing chess to remain another source of sibling conflict, she introduced structure, coaching and organised competition.

At home, Devanshi often had the advantage. She was older, more experienced and used to winning against her younger brother. In tournaments, however, their dynamic could change. Aditya became unusually calm and intensely competitive.

Their mother remembers one tournament where the organisers paired them against each other. Sitting nearby, she faced a distinctly parental dilemma: one child would win and celebrate, while the other might lose and cry.

Aditya won that game.

Yet the deeper story was not about one sibling defeating the other. It was about two children sharpening each other. Devanshi’s early success gave Aditya something to pursue. Aditya’s rapid growth gave Devanshi a stronger opponent at home.

They did not grow separately.

They grew across the same board.