Bhakti Kulkarni is a famous Indian chess player. She is the recipient of FIDE titles – Women’s Grandmaster (WGM) in 2012 and International Master (IM) in 2019. In 2022, she created history along with her teammates by winning a bronze medal at the Chess Olympiad in Tamil Nadu. This is a first for an Indian women’s chess team.
Wiki/Biography
Bhakti Kulkarni was born on Tuesday, May 19, 1992 in Goa, India (age 31 in 2023). Her zodiac sign is Taurus. In 2022, she received her BA from Mumbai University. According to Bhakti Kulkarni, she was introduced to chess at the age of two-and-a-half by her father, who was a national-level chess player in college. In a conversation with a media outlet, she recalled her childhood days when her father played chess and she would often sit on his lap and learn from him. Bhakti Kulkarni said,
I feel I’m lucky because my skills come from my father, who has been an avid chess player since college. I still remember that I used to sit on his lap while he played chess and that’s how I learned this logical thinking game at the age of 2.5. When I was four years old, I started playing in tournaments. “
Childhood photos of Bhakti Kulkarni playing chess
appearance
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Bhakti Kulkarni’s father’s name is Pradeep Kulkarni and her mother’s name is Priya Kulkarni.
Bhakti Kulkarni and her parents
She has two brothers named Ankit Rajpara and Utsav Rajpara.
Brothers Bhakti Kulkarni
husband
Bhakti Kulkarni is not married yet.
Profession
In 1998, at the age of six, Bhakti Kulkarni participated in the state under-7 championship and was selected for the national chess championship and finished third. In 2008, she participated in the National Beat Championship organized by the Goa Chess Association and won the title of Best Goan Champion. In 2009, she represented the Indian team in the Women’s Asian Team Chess Championship and won a bronze medal in the individual competition. Bhakti Kulkarni participated in the 2010 Asian Championships in China and won the gold medal in the U-18 category. During these tournaments, her coach Dronacharya Gokhale accompanied her to China.
Bhakti Kulkarni with her coach Dronacharya Gokhale and world champion Karpov in China in 2010
In 2011, Bhakti Kulkarni participated in the Asian Youth Chess Championship and won the championship. After that, she participated in the Vysokina Open, an international women’s chess championship held in the Czech Republic, and won the championship in 2013. In 2016, she won the Asian Women’s Chess Championship. In the same year, Bhakti Kulkarni participated in the team competition of the Women’s Asian Team Chess Championship.
Bhakti Kulkarni won one of the prestigious TMTS – Asian Continental (Women) Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2016
In September 2018, Bhakti Kulkarni participated in the Fisher Memorial Chess Championship in Greece and won the third International Masters Championship.
Bhakti Kulkarni wins 3rd International Masters Standard Championship at Fischer Memorial Chess Championship in Greece
In the same year, Bhakti Kulkarni won the title of National Women’s Champion in the national championship organized by the All India Chess Federation and the Rajasthan Chess Association.
Bhakti Kulkarni after winning Women’s National Championship 2018
In 2019, Bhakti Kulkarni participated in the Asian Continental Open and Women’s Championship held in Xingtai, China. She defeated her opponent M. Mahalaxmi in the third round and won the championship. She then participated in the National Women’s Senior Chess Championship held in Kalakudy, Tamil Nadu. And won the same.
Bhakti Kulkarni wins Senior Women’s National Chess Championship in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, 2019
In the same year, Bhakti Kulkarni won a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Chess Championship.
Bhakti Kulkarni poses after winning bronze medal at Commonwealth Championships 2019
In 2020, Bhakti Kulkarni participated in the Online Chess Olympiad and won a gold medal.
Bhakti Kulkarni after winning gold medal in Chess Olympiad
In September 2021, Bhakti Kulkarni was ranked 2388th in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) rankings. On August 10, 2022, Bhakti Kulkarni and her teammates became the first women’s team in Indian history to win a bronze medal at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. Ukraine and Georgia won gold and silver respectively in the women’s competition.
Bhakti Kulkarni (far right) after winning the bronze medal at the 2022 Chess Olympiad
Awards
In 2021, Bhakti Kulkarni was awarded the Loksatta Tarun Tejankit Award by Union Minister Prakash Javdekar of India.
Bhakti Kulkarni wins Loksatta Tarun Tejankit Award
In 2019, Bhakti Kulkarni won the Geno Award.
Facts/Trivia
- Bhakti Kulkarni said she attributes her success to her coaches. In an interview with the media, she revealed that her coach Raghunandan Gokhale started her chess training when she was seven years old and did not ask for any kind of fee from her in return. she says,
I don’t think I would have been as successful as I am today without Mr. Gokhale and his wife Ms. Anupama. Ms. Anupama won the Asian Women’s Championship in 1985 and 1987. I met him when I was 7 years old. He trained me at no charge. “
One of India’s most famous chess couples – Arjuna Award winner Anupama Gokhale and Dronacharya Award winner Raghunandan Gokhale )
- Bhakti Kulkarni often participates in many tree planting events and posts her pictures on social media. She is a passionate environmental advocate.
Bhakti Kulkarni plants saplings at home
- Bhakti Kulkarni is a fitness enthusiast. In a media interview, she said she regularly practices pranayama and meditation to enhance concentration. In the same discussion, she added that the exercises helped her stay sharp ahead of a chess tournament. Bhakti Kulkarni said,
In this game you need to keep your body healthy to keep your mind healthy. Before games and tournaments, I do pranayama and meditation to keep my mind clear. “
- Bhakti Kulkarni is an avid bird lover. Her pet bird’s name is a little bulbul. She often shares photos of her pet birds on various social media platforms.
Bhakti Kulkarni and her pet bird
- Bhakti Kulkarni often advertises ethnic women’s wear brands on various social media platforms.
Bhakti Kulkarni’s Instagram post while promoting ethnic wear brand
- According to Bhakti Kulkarni, she loves singing and often sings at home to kill boredom.
When Bhakti Kulkarni sings
- In an interview with the media, Bhakti said that in her spare time she likes photography, swimming and playing table tennis. She added in the same discussion that she was lucky to be able to explore other countries during the chess tournament. she says,
Because I’m lucky enough to be able to travel to other countries for my game, I bring my camera with me. I also like to play table tennis, so I like to play chess during the competition, and I also like to swim. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education