# Harika Dronavalli

Harika Dronavalli (born 12 January 1991) is an Indian chess player who holds the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM). She was part of the gold winning women's team at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024. She has won three bronze medals in the Women's World Chess Championship, in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Harika was honored with the Arjuna Award for the year 2007–08 by the government of India. In 2016, she won the FIDE Women's Grand Prix event at Chengdu, China and rose up from world no. 11 to world no. 5 in FIDE women's ranking. In 2019, she was awarded the Padma Shri for her contributions towards the field of sports.

## Early life

Harika was born to Ramesh and Swarna Dronavalli on 12 January 1991 in Guntur where she attended Sri Venkateswara Bala Kuteer school. Her father works as a deputy executive engineer at a Panchayat Raj subdivision in Mangalagiri. She started playing chess at a very young age and won a medal in the under-9 national championship. She followed it up with a silver medal in the world youth chess championship for under-10 girls. She subsequently became a student of coach NVS Ramaraju who refined her game.

## Personal life

She married Hyderabad-based Karteek Chandra in August 2018. She gave birth to her first child on 24 August 2022 after having played at the 2022 Chess Olympiad, where the Indian women won the bronze medal, while in her ninth month of pregnancy. Her elder sister, Anusha, married Telugu film director K. S. Ravindra.

## Achievements
### 2024

* Won the Women's Chess Olympiad representing India, along with Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev.

### 2021

* Won Silver Medal at 2021 FIDE Women's World Team Championship.
* Won Bronze Medal at FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2021.

### 2019

* Awarded Padma Sri on 26 January (Republic Day).

### 2017

* Bronze Medal at the Women's World Chess Championship, 10 February – 4 March, Tehran, Iran.

### 2016

* FIDE Women Grand Prix, Khanty Mansiysk - 5th position
* FIDE Women Grand Prix, Chengdu - Gold Medal.
* Asian Women Team Chess Championship, UAE - Member Indian Team
** Individual Gold medal in Rapid format.
** Individual Silver Medal on Top Board in Classical format.
** Team won Bronze Medal in Rapid format.

### 2015

* World Women's Online Blitz Championship, Rome - Gold Medal.
* Asian Rapid Women Chess Championship, UAE - Bronze Medal.
* World Women Team Chess Championship, China - Member Indian Team
** Individual Silver Medal in Second Board
** Team stood 4th place.
* World Women's Chess Championship, Sochi - Bronze Medal.
* FIDE Women Grand Prix, Sharjah - Bronze Medal.

### 2014

* Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Iran - Member Indian Team
** Team won Silver medal in Standard format
** Individual Gold Medal on Top Board
** Team won Silver medal in Rapid format

### 2012

* World Women's Chess Championship, Khanty-Mansysk - Bronze Medal.
* Asian Women Team Chess Championship, China - Member Indian Team
** Team won Bronze Medal
* Women Chess Olympiad, Turkey - Member Indian Team
** Team got 4th place (best result in Indian Women Chess History.)
* World Women Team Chess Championship, Turkey, - Member Indian Team
** Individual Silver Medal in Second Board
** Team stood 4th place.

### 2011

* 2011 Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament, Hangzhou, China - scored 5.5/9 and secured her third GM norm (The GM title was conferred by the 82nd FIDE Congress 2011 in Kraków, Poland in October.)
* Asian Women Chess Championship, Iran - Gold Medal.
* Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, South Africa - Silver Medal.
* Grandmaster (GM) Title - Second Woman to Become Grandmaster in India.

### 2010

* Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, New Delhi - Gold Medal.
* 16th Asian Games, Women's Individual Chess Category, Guangzhou China - Bronze Medal.

### 2009

* Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Kolkata - Captain Indian Women's Team
** Team won Silver Medal
** Individual Gold Medal on Top Board.
* III Asian Indoor Games, Vietnam
** Women Individual Rapid Chess - Bronze Medal.
** Member in Team Blitz Chess - Bronze Medal.
** Team Rapid Chess - Bronze Medal.

### 2008

* World Junior Girls Chess Championship, Turkeym - Gold Medal.
* Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Visakhapatnam - Captain Indian Team
** Team won Silver Medal
** Individual Silver Medal on Top Board.

### 2007

* Men International Master
* 2nd Asian Indoor Games, Macau
** Rapid Chess Individual Women - Gold Medal.
** Classical Chess Individual Women - Bronze Medal.
* 2nd Asian Indoor Games, Macau - Member Team India
** Rapid Chess Team - Gold Medal.
** Classical Chess Team - Silver Medal.
** Blitz Chess Team - Silver Medal.
* Asian Zonal Women Chess Championship, Bangladesh - Gold Medal.
* Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, New Delhi - Gold Medal.

### 2006

* World Youth Championship U-18 Girls, Georgia - Gold Medal.
* Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, Mumbai - Gold Medal.

### 2005

* Asian Junior Girls Championship, Bikaner - Silver Medal.

### 2004

* Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Title - Youngest Woman Grandmaster in Asian Continent.
* Commonwealth U-18 Girls Chess Championship, Mumbai - Gold Medal.
* Asian U-18 Girls Chess Championship, Iran - Bronze Medal.
* World Youth Championship U-14 Girls, Greece - Gold Medal.

### 2003

* Commonwealth Women Chess Championship, Mumbai - Silver Medal.
* Asian Women Chess Championship, Calicut - Silver Medal.
* Woman International Master (WIM) Title - Youngest Woman International Master in Asian Continent.
* Asian Women Team Chess Championship, Jodhpur -Member Indian Team
** Team won Bronze Medal.
** Individual Gold Medal on 4th Board.

### 2002

* Asian U-18 Girls Chess Championship, Bikaner - Gold Medal.
* Asian Under-12 Girls Chess Championship, Iran - Gold Medal.
* World Youth Chess Championship U-12 Girls, Greece - Bronze Medal.

### 2001

* World Youth Chess Championship U-12 Girls, Spain - Silver Medal
* Asian Under-12 Girls Chess Championship, Bikaner - Silver Medal

### 2000

* World Youth Chess Championship U-10 Girls, Spain - Silver Medal

### National level achievements

* 2009 - National Women Chess Championship, Chennai - Gold Medal.
* Won 16 Medals in National Level Tournaments including Women 'A' Championship, Women 'B' Championship, National Junior Girls and Sub-Junior Girls Titles during these 16 years.

## Other achievements

* Chess Player of the Year - 2016 and 2017 by The Times of India (TOISA Annual Awards)
* Featured by Verve magazine in 2017 amongst the top 40 popular women sportspersons of the year