Following Gukesh's footsteps: 8-year-old Adira Mukerji earns FIDE rating

New Delhi: Adira Mukerji of Junior Modern School, Humayun Road, wants to follow the footsteps of Indian Chess grandmaster and reigning World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

A student of Class 3, she had lifted the Delhi State Chess Champion trophy in the U-7 (Under-7) category.

Adira, who turns 8 today (February 24), also opened her FIDE (The International Chess Federation  or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE) International rating. With this, she became the first girl in the history of Delhi Chess to receive the rating in the U-7 category.

Dommaraju, 18, earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 12, and is the third youngest grandmaster in Chess history.

"He is an inspiration for hundreds of children like me in India," Adira said.

Her favourite words are game, set, match. Adira further said she is the happiest when she can foresee the opponent's blunders, and is about to “checkmate” her.