Delhi-based 13-year-old Abeer Manchanda dreams of becoming a Chess Grandmaster one day. Having won the Second position in the One Day Open Chess Battle in Chandigarh, Abeer has shown exemplary skills in the game of chess. He is destined to become an expert at the game.

It was in his third standard when Abeer’s teacher first noticed his ability to solve complex calculations effortlessly. He was exceptional at calculations and with time, everyone came to know how gifted Abeer was at this. As his reputation grew, so did his confidence in himself and his abilities.

His calculation skills started getting better with time and eventually he started applying his skill-set together with a good measure of creative thinking to the game of chess. With time and practice, he went on to become quite adept at the game and won several tournaments, trophies, and awards. These accomplishments further motivated him to keep working on his game.

Pursuing chess as an extracurricular activity was not easy. Abeer had to dedicate nearly five to six hours a day to polish his game. In fact, playing Chess professionally would not have been easy for Abeer, had it not been for the support he received from his family and his school. His family has always been there for him. For both, Amit Manchanda and Shipra Manchanda, it was important that their son never compromised on his game. They always encouraged Abeer to pursue his talent and ensured ample opportunities and exposure was provided to their son.

Another major source of support was Abeer’s school, which granted him a scholarship in order to help Abeer pursue his goals and ambitions. One major drawback of pursuing the game so relentlessly was that Abeer had to skip his classes for practice with his coach, Chandan Mandal. His parents too realized that skipping classes could negatively impact their son’s academic record. However, the school showed its full support by granting him leaves and assisting him with his studies to ensure that Abeer’s academic record did not get affected in the pursuit of his passion.

Abeer’s dream is to become a Chess Grandmaster. A Grandmaster is a title awarded by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) to an exceptionally good chess player. The awardee retains the title for life and is the highest title a chess player can attain. In the pursuit of this dream, Abeer is sure to represent himself and his nation internationally. Abeer’s current accomplishments are a source of inspiration for him. They motivate him to persistently chase his dreams. Recently, he won the third position at the Delhi Zonals (Under 19) Competition.

Apart from chess, Abeer has also thrown himself into activities such as coding and machine learning through different platforms. Participation in other activities ensures that Abeer’s mind never gets tired or bored of doing the same things. This helps him in maintaining his interest in chess. Furthermore, Abeer is also a dedicated student and studies on his own by watching YouTube videos as well. Therefore, he himself ensures that he does not compromise on anything in the relentless pursuit of his dreams.

Milkha Singh once said that with determination and willpower, nothing is impossible. Both of these qualities are reflected in Abeer’s life through his dedication for self-study, daily six hours of practice, and engagement in other, relevant activities. All of this goes on to show that Abeer is committed towards his academic pursuits and extracurricular activities, which include his passion for the game of Chess. Such level of dedication, focus, and commitment are truly inspirational and one can clearly see a bright and successful future ahead of Abeer.