Ireland’s first and only Woman Grandmaster is gearing up for the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan which gets under way next week.
The event, which is organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), happens every two years and sees players from around the world take part.
For 20-year-old Trisha Kanyamarala, from Portlaoise in Co Laois, it’s been a whirlwind 12 months, having been awarded the title of Woman Grandmaster in chess late last year – the first Irish woman to achieve the title.
Gaining a Woman Grandmaster title, or ‘norm’, involves reaching a chess rating of 2,300, while also achieving a performance rating of 2,400 across three officially recognised tournaments.
“The chess ratings start at 1,400 and the highest rated chess player in the world is around 2,800,” explained Ms Kanyamarala.
“In my case, I didn’t get them one after the other. I got my first norm in 2020, before Covid.
“It was a long journey from there to being woman grandmaster.
“I thought it would be quick, but it was a long process,” she said.
Ms Kanyamarala first began playing chess when she was eight years old. Complaining about being bored at weekends, her parents bought a chess board.
“My dad introduced myself and my brother to chess. He taught us the basics and the rules of the game,” she said.
“I had played draughts in primary school and, compared to that, it felt a bit complicated with so many pieces and so many different moves.”
Initially, Ms Kanyamarala said she felt the game was not for her; however, her curiosity grew after watching others play at a chess club in the Curragh in Co Kildare.
“My brother and dad used to go along every Saturday so I would just tag along,” she said.
“I was really fascinated because there were so many people playing.
“The organisers had chess cards too, which provided hints, and that felt like it was an easier way to get me into chess.”
From there, Ms Kanyamarala said he began to enjoy the game: “I started doing chess puzzles and reading chess books and then I started winning some prizes and tournaments and I thought ‘I’ll give this a shot’.”
In 2020, Ms Kanyamarala was awarded her first major title when she became Ireland’s first Woman International Master in 2020, aged just 14.
Now, as part of an Irish team, she will compete at the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan next week, her third.
“It’s very exciting. It’s a big chess tournament with more than 100 countries taking part and 200 teams.
“I’m going to play on board one so I’m leading the Irish women’s team this year.”
Alongside Ms Kanyamarala is her 21-year-old brother Tarun, who will also compete in Uzbekistan next week.
Mr Kanyamarala is himself a former Irish chess champion and the youngest Irish person to achieve the title of International Master.
He said he’s very proud of his sister and of the fact both will represent Ireland next week.
“We both find joy in our wins, and I think that’s how we’ve grown together.”
Both Trisha and Tarun want to encourage young people to take up chess.
The game has grown in popularity in recent years, following the success of Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit and the growth in online streaming.
Online streaming is also extremely lucrative for many online players who make videos and live streams.
“Give it a try and give it time,” said Ms Kanyamarala.
“It’s about putting the work in and trusting the process.
Mr Kanyamarala echoes those sentiments: “Play with your club, with your friends, the more you play, the better you will get.”
The siblings have also founded their own business, Irish Chess Technology, which is dedicated to promoting the game in Ireland.
Honoured to represent Ireland
Ms Kanyamarala believes chess should be recognised as a sport in Ireland.
“There are a lot of countries that recognises chess as a sport but in Ireland, where it is not recognised as a sport, there is no funding,” she said.
“I’m the only female Grandmaster in Ireland but, with funding, I’m sure we could have many more girls playing and stronger players from Ireland.”
She explains that funding competitions is costly.
“Travelling is expensive and as a chess player we do really need to compete a lot globally.
“We have a lot of talent in Ireland; we just need more support.”
Later this week, the siblings will travel to Samarkand and they say they are honoured to represent and excited to compete against the best in the world.
“The Olympiad only happens once every two years,” said Mr Kanyamarala.
“We have a decent team this year, so we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve and hopefully we keep improving our ranking.”