Specially-abled Jalandhar girl wins national chess championship eighth time in a row

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 1

Mallika Handa, a city-based speech and hearing-impaired chess champion, has won a gold medal in National Chess Championship of the Deaf, which was held from July 27-July 31 in Gujarat.

Now she will be representing the nation in the World Chess Championship for the Deaf. The event will be held in Poland in September. This is for the eighth time in a row that she had won the national championship.

Mallika was not ready to participate this time because of her father’s health condition. “She did not prepare at all. Her father was unwell and Mallika was worried and said that she would not leave her father to participate in the event. But I and my husband encouraged her to take part and now she has won,” said Renu Handa, Mallika’s mother.

Suresh Handa, father of Mallika, said he had a hard time convincing her daughter to go and perform. “Now that she has won, I told her that now I am perfectly well. Her medal has improved my health,” he said.

For so many times, Mallika has vented out her anger against the previous state government for not giving her a job. Even after having so many achievements in her pocket, she is without a job. She had won a silver medal in the World Deaf Blitz Chess Championship held in Manchester. She has also competed with able-bodied players in the 43rd World Chess FIDE Olympiad, which was held in Georgia.

No govt help so far

Mallika Handa’s parents said their daughter had played several state, national and international competitions and brought laurels to the country, but no government has ever extended any help to her.

“We are really hopeful that CM Bhagwant Mann will take notice of her achievements. We are planning to meet him,” they said.

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