Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

This grandma enjoys a battle

V.V. Subrahmanyam

MAKING MOVES: Janaki Devi in action at the ONGC Cup chess tournament in Hyderabad.

HYDERABAD: Chess is a sport, which has no age barriers. A nine-year-old can be as menacing as a 60-year-old on a given day. At 60, M. Janaki Devi apparently is not entertaining any big ambitions on the 64 squares. But, she certainly has become the major attraction at the on-going ONGC Cup International Grandmasters chess tournament at Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy Indoor Stadium (Yousufguda) here. For someone who learnt the basics of the sport just to accompany her grandson, Kaustabh, sometime ago, this elderly lady is now herself, engaged in many battles across the board. "I am playing just for the sake of fun. And, when I am up against youngsters, somehow I take it very easy for I treat them as my grandchildren. I try to raise the level of my game only when I play against big players," she said.

Fond memories

Like many chess players, Janaki fondly recalls the "wonderful chat" she had with former World Champion Viswanathan Anand at the Ramoji Film City during the inaugural World Cup a couple of years ago. "At this age, you cannot dream big. It is always good to be involved in a sport for it keeps you fresh. And to spend retired life I feel it is better to train a few youngsters at home and my trainee Amukta Malya won the State under-7 title recently," says the proud former Mathematics school teacher.

That she paid the entry fee of Rs. 5,000 to compete in the ONGC Cup may well portray her profound interest in the sport. "I have nothing to lose but everything to gain. I am enjoying my life at this stage," she says. Well, Janaki Devi, who hails from Suryapeta in Nalgonda distirct but now settled in the city to be with her daughter Madhavi Lata, certainly symbolise the essence of sporting spirit. No wonder, the sport goes on thanks to such wonderful characters!

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