Chess player Tania Sachdev, heartbroken over lack of recognition, writes to Kejriwal’s Delhi CM

As chess continues to earn India fame around the world, some athletes are frustrated by the poor recognition they receive from state governments. Tania Sachdev is one such athlete who has decided to express her dissatisfaction with the repeated snubs from the Delhi government. In a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter), Tania claimed that despite playing chess for India since 2008, she has not received any recognition from the Delhi government. She also reminded political leaders of her accomplishments at the 2022 Chess Olympics. She also won a gold medal at the Chess Olympics in 2024.

“Having played for India since 2008, it is a shame that my chess achievements have not been recognized by the Delhi government. Countries that support and celebrate champions directly inspire excellence and inspire talent. It is a shame. However, Delhi has not yet taken that step.

At the 2022 Chess Olympics, I returned with historic team bronze and individual medals. Two years later, in 2024, the historic Olympic gold medal in chess will be won, but to date no recognition or awards have been given by the state government. As someone who proudly represents Delhi and India, I hope @AamAadmiParty @AtishiAAP ma’am @ArvindKejriwal finds it valuable to support our country’s chess players,” Tania posted on X did.

It is unfortunate that his achievements in chess, which he has played for the Indian national team since 2008, have not been recognized by the Delhi government. A state that supports and celebrates champions directly inspires excellence and inspires talent. Unfortunately, Delhi has not yet taken this step

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— Tania Sachdev (@TaniaSachdev) December 23, 2024

In a chat with NDTV in October this year, Sachdev urged Delhi to follow the Tamil Nadu model if it is to produce grandmasters the way the southern state has been doing for the past few years.

“There is a reason why we see so many grandmasters from Tamil Nadu. Why does every girl want to play badminton? It’s because she saw Sindhu’s PV,” Sahadev told NDTV He spoke at the World Summit.

“Unless the state government recognizes the efforts of athletes in the state, how are we going to seriously inspire young people into the profession?” she said.