Para chess champ Jennitha Anto does India proud yet again

Jennitha Anto from Tamil Nadu represented India at the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPDSC) championship and won for the sixth consecutive year. She shares her inspiring and motivational journey of hard work and determination.

Jennitha Anto looks unstoppable. This para chess player, who has been on a winning streak added another golden feather to her cap, winning the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPDSC) championship for the sixth time in a row.

The event, held in Ruzomberok, Slovakia, saw Jennitha up against some tough competition but she held her nerves and has brought the cup to India.

32-year-old Jennitha who is from Trichy, Tamil Nadu is a wheelchair user, and took to chess at a young age. Her father G Kanickai Irudayaraj, Secretary, Chess Federation for Physically Disabled (CFPD) in Tamil Nadu is her biggest pillar of strength and support.

After her graduation, Jennitha decided to concentrate on chess and went on to win many accolades. She aims to keep going.

I have always felt proud representing India at international tournaments. This is my sixth world championship and ’am super excited. I hope I can bring home trophies for all the upcoming tournaments too. I have got formal training in chess, and I wouldn’t have been able to achieve all this without the support of my family. – Jennitha Anto, World Para Chess Champion.

Jennitha considers world chess champions Vishwanathan Anand and Bobby Fischer as role models. “They have inspired me since childhood. I look up to them and their way of playing chess”, says Jennitha who is now gearing up for the title o world grand master.

Hard work, she says is key to her success and laser sharp focus. “Be focused on what you want to do and work hard for it. Rest everything falls in place. Be patient and never give up”, she says.

Her mother Jayarani couldn’t be happier for her daughter, who is seen as a role model. “I am glad that she can inspire more people to follow their passions”, says Jayarani.

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