by First lets have a look at three sisters Vasanti, Jayshree, and Rohini Khadilkar who dominated the women’s chess championships of India.
Jayshree Khadilkar Pande who won the FIDE Woman International Master (WIM) title in 1979, was the first Indian woman to achieve the same. The most successful among the three sisters, Jayshree achieved peak FIDE rating 2120 in 1987.
Second among the Khadilkar sisters is Vasanti Khadilkar Unni. She won the title of Woman International Master (WIM) and also the inaugural Indian Women’s Championship. Along with Bhagyashree Sathe, Vasanti was a joint winner for British Ladies’ Championship (1984), Brighton, England.
Youngest of the three Khadilkar sisters Rohini Khadilkar born in Mumbai, a successful chess player who won the title of Woman International Master (WIM). She has also won the Indian women’s championship five times and the Asian women’s championship twice. Unique distinction of being the first female chess player to receive the Arjuna Award (1980).
Three sisters while following their passion (chess) also helped their father run their family business – a newspaper called Navakal.
Here comes an interesting coincidence, presenting three super talented chess players in a different decade with the same surname 🙂
Meet Mrudul, Rucha, and Samruddha Khadilkar, these sisters have achieved their worth in the chess world.
Youngest sister, Mrudul Khadilkar, (born 27th Jan, 2005) started playing chess at the age of five and soon became a prodigy in the sport. Among her achievements one is the prestigious silver medal at the World Youth Chess Championship (2018) and the National Under-15 Girls Championship (2019).
Rucha Khadilkar, middle sister, born on September 7, 2002. She started playing chess at the age of eight and has also won several national and international championships. In 2016, she won the National Under-14 Girls Championship, and in 2018, she won the National Under-17 Girls Championship.
Samruddha Khadilkar, eldest sister, born on June 11, 1999. She started playing chess at the age of seven and has also achieved several notable victories. In 2012, she won the National Under-13 Girls Championship, and in 2016, she won the National Under-19 Girls Championship.
All Khadilkar sisters have made significant contributions to chess recognition, gender equality in sports in India and have inspired many young girls to take up the game.
