NEW DELHI: In the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, those from the North and the South had a contrasting approach towards dominance, survival, and eventually success. The blood and instinct of the North were met with the alliance-building of the South.Along those lines, a similar story is playing out in Indian chess.23-year-old Vantika Agrawal, a double gold medallist from the 2024 Chess Olympiad and an Arjuna Awardee, says she feels let down by the way chess is perceived in the northern part of the country.“In North India, there is no culture of chess,” the Uttar Pradesh-born Grandmaster tells TimesofIndia.com.“If someone asks what you do here, and you say, ‘I’m a chess player,’ their response is usually, ‘Okay, but what do you actually do? What are you studying?’ I think it’s still the same story, even after winning so many medals. People still ask, ‘Chess is fine, but what do you really do?'”Her words land like a checkmate: honest, sharp, and damning. And she is not alone.
