#607 My Love for Chess!!

                                                    

                                          MY LOVE FOR CHESS

                    (Image Courtesy:Google Image)

 I am not a regular chess player, but I like to play chess in my free time.

I have learnt to play chess from my paternal uncle, who introduced me to the pieces of chess to begin with. Later on, I developed a great interest in it.

I don’t clearly remember how many chess matches I have lost or won against him as a contender. But I do remember well the first time I won a chess match against him; he gifted me a certificate as a token of appreciation with my name written on it. I was on cloud nine after receiving it.

Later on during my school days, I remember participating in chess matches, and winning these would fill me with a sense of satisfaction and pride.

During my undergraduate years, I participated in my institute’s chess tournament and won prizes.

Similarly, in my post-graduate years, I secured spots in the finals of chess and won it as well. Out of two girls’ hostels of our institute, I had the opportunity to lead the team of five players who played the matches against the opponents of another hostel. We won four matches.

Later on, I created my profile on chess.com and regularly played matches to enhance my skills.

At home, when my cousins meet, we play chess with one another. I even play chess matches with my sister.

Once, while gossiping with my sister, she introduced me to the chess tournament by Tech Mahindra called Contenders.

Its registration closed on 20 September 2025. Contenders is the official pathway to the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL), the world’s first franchise-based chess league featuring the top players. It is a multi-tiered online chess tournament where amateurs and professionals compete for the coveted spot of ambassadors in Tech Mahindra Global Chess League Season 3.

After registration, I had to choose three arenas out of the six available based on the time frame. Registrations were open for male, female, and U21 participants.

I chose Arena 4, 5, and 6. But I preferred to play on 19 September 2025.

The tournament started at 8:30 PM, and there were 14 participants registered. I had to play chess matches randomly with different participants. The game was designed for 5+0 minutes per game.

I started playing the matches with excitement. I was nervous as well because I found that one of the players from the group of 14 participants was a FIDE Woman Grandmaster. I played all three games against her but lost all three games.

This tournament ended at 11:30, and I ranked 2nd with a silver medal. I was so happy to finish the game at this rank, and I progressed to the 2nd round, in which all the top 2 players from the 6 arenas compete with the 4 guest players. It was conducted on October 3–5.

I was quite excited to participate in the second round.

Although I lost the match against my opponent, who was a grand master in women's chess from Vietnam in the top-8 round, it was a rewarding experience for me. I was privileged enough to represent my country in the global chess arena. 

I am looking forward to participating in more such global-level chess tournaments. 

                            (Image: My name in top-16)

 

SWETA SARANGI

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
22–09–2025

#606 A Letter to Yourself

                                             A Letter to Yourself

To choose forgiveness

(Image Courtesy: Google)

Dear Niki,

I allow you to forgive everyone who has done wrong to you and has hurt you willingly and unwillingly. This is so because forgiveness doesn’t let their act feel divine; it keeps you free from the burden of resentment. You deserve more peace and everything special in your life.

You should accept the fact that hurt people hurt others. Their actions have nothing to do with your worth.

Maybe you have given them ample chances.

Maybe you were naïve and inexperienced back then.

Cheating and playing with the emotions of others don’t make them great. You may feel betrayed, broken for a time being, but you are saved by that invisible power to an extent you could have never imagined. Death might be the ultimate phase for you then.

You will rise again like a phoenix from the ashes.

Because I trust you and believe that you have a powerful intuition that can see many things beforehand.

Forgive yourself for not trusting your gut instinct then. Forgive yourself for keeping them as a priority by neglecting yourself.

You are a kind and innocent soul.

You are still choosing peace over battle; you could have easily won against them. That does not make you weak, but it proves you have a strong heart.

You will rise no matter what.

No matter who knocks you down from your past and present.

I believe in your honesty and power.

I believe that your purpose is to uplift people and not to take advantage of them when you have power and authority.

There was nothing special in them. It’s your love and respect for them that made them hold a special place in your life for a particular time being.

I believe in the universe, and it has your back.

                                         TATHASTU

 

From Yourself

 

SWETA SARANGI

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

12-7-2026

 

 

 

#605 9th July 2026

                                                     9^th July 2026

I lost her completely

(Image Courtesy: Google)

It was the 12^th date from her demise. It’s the day when a feast is organized for the relatives and friends of the deceased person according to Hindu customs and rituals.

Yes, today I felt I lost her completely.

Until now, I used to feel that her soul was with us, watching us from a distance and praying for our well-being.

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I could feel the void when I visited my paternal aunt’s village today. She was the sister of my father, who died on 29^th June, exactly a few hours after I last met her in the ward of the cancer care hospital. She had been diagnosed with deadly blood cancer about fourteen years ago. But the last two years were critical for her as she went through rigorous chemotherapy for the treatment. Chemotherapy often comes with inevitable side effects. I have seen her going to the hospital regularly with a brave heart and strong willpower.

I went to her village (her in-laws’ place) after a gap of many years, where her last rituals were performed.

I went there with my family. Her husband (my uncle) welcomed us, but with a heavy heart and tears in his eyes. He was gloomy, and his eyes swelled up because of constantly crying for days. I could feel the agony of separation at this age. The marital bond used to be strong back then, unlike today’s generation.  

If she were there, she would have welcomed us happily and offered us our favourite food.

We were offered snacks by her in-laws’ side.

I started searching for her among everyone I met there, knowing that she is no more.

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There was a clash going on in my head. One part of my brain knew that I lost her to cancer, and another part was unable to accept this fact. But my heart was still searching for her warmth and assurance, which I used to get in my most difficult phase of life.

The phone call from her in the past years to know about my well-being despite her prolonged illness would heal me in a way I could never imagine.

I would miss the fact that I would never get a chance to recharge her mobile that I used to do for her every month. I still get the notification, but I feel really sad for not being able to do it this time.

We had our lunch arranged there by my uncle (her husband). There were a lot of dishes on the menu. It was a pure vegetarian menu without onion and garlic. It was tasty, but I was feeling heavy inside while taking each bite, knowing that it was the feast of her demise by ritual.  

In whatever functions I attended over the past few years, I would call her and discuss the menu. She would be happy to listen to me. But this time, she was not there for a call.

I missed her very much at that moment.

We all went to her room, where the rituals were performed in the presence of a priest. A photo of her was there with a garland of flowers over it.  A few incense sticks and earthen lamps were in front of it.

I could not hold my tears and sought her blessings.

After that, we bade adieu to her place and returned home.

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Life is strange sometimes.

We experience grief in different ways. According to Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, there are five stages of grief.

The five core stages include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These emotions are non-linear. These can occur individually or simultaneously. 

The most difficult emotion is acceptance. When you know that she is no more, but you feel her everywhere in the form of her memories.

I never knew that departing a soul who is so protective and caring for you would be so difficult.

I can feel what her husband (my uncle) might have been going through. He had been very dedicated and caring for her throughout her journey with cancer for the last fourteen years. It’s quite rare to find such a commitment in today’s era.

The more I write, the more I feel connected to her and gloomy at the same time.

I can only pray for her departed soul to be at peace forever.

May god always bless and protect your soul, Nani.

SWETA SARANGI

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

09-07-2026

 

#604 Fragility of life

                                                 Fragility of life

Enjoy every moment

                                           (Image Courtesy: Google) 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, fragile is an adjective that primarily means easily broken, damaged, or destroyed.

I think life is fragile. We don’t know what will happen in the next moment. It is as delicate as glass and should be handled with care.

We often live in an illusion, thinking that name, fame, status, family, property, and enormous wealth are the real success. But we forget that we have come alone in this earth and will go alone, leaving everything behind forever. Those whom we think have hurt us and loved us will be left behind when we leave this world. So, there is no reason to be proud of the achievements, as nothing is going to stay with us once we are out of this materialistic world. Similarly, there is no reason to feel guilty and demoralised for the failures, even as these will also not follow us out of the world.

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Recently, I have been reflecting on a lot of things in my life, like success and failures, which I don’t have control over.

I have been visiting my paternal aunt (my father’s sister) regularly at the cancer care centre, where she has been admitted for the last month.

Today was different. Something hit really hard. I went to her ward to meet her. She was looking pale today. Her face had shrunk to a great level, like the muscles of her face were squeezed. Her teeth moved out of her mouth. She did not hit 60, but she seemed to be in her 80s. She was breathing heavily as if she had run a sprint a few minutes back.

I asked her whether she was feeling okay. But, she could not answer my question as if she were counting a few hours of her existence on earth. I could not control my tears then. For a few minutes, I completely froze upon seeing her critical condition.

After a few minutes of crying, secretly sitting at the corner of her ward, I gathered the courage to face her. I started sharing my everyday stories with her, but in response, I did not get any reply from her. I did not know whether she was able to process anything in her mind.

She was one of the biggest supporters of my life who would cheer me up whenever I felt low. She would pray to god for my success even when she was hospitalized.

Seeing her count her last breath at the cancer care centre really made me feel disturbed and restless.

The last few years have been really difficult for us; for her, these were the worst. She was diagonised of blood cancer fourteen years back. Since then, she had been fighting this battle with a brave heart and strong willpower. She had been on medication till then, and living her life freely without much thinking of the disease.

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This deadly disease had never affected her mind the way anyone could have thought. All the credit goes to her indomitable spirit.

For the last two years, she had been going through chemotherapy. I could not count how many times she might have visited the hospital for taking the saline and costly injections.

Regularly, I would go to the hospital to meet her, but I had never seen her give up on her life. Despite these medications and therapies, she would always ask about my well-being and show a world full of positivity.

Being a devotee of Saibaba, she accompanied my parents and me to Shirdi in Jan 2024. We would never have imagined that a patient would travel around 30 hours by train to have a glimpse of Saibaba. Such was her devotion and faith in him that had made her navigate these difficult times in life.

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I don’t know how I would process this loss in the future.

She is in her last stage, and one thing that made me feel relieved is that the care given at the centre is unmatched. She is at one of the best cancer care centres in India. Maybe she would leave this world in an environment where all the care facilities are provided.

At this point, I feel numb, unable to think that I would not be able to recharge her mobile this time, as I used to do for her. I would miss her call at late night to console me.

Life has really shrunk to a few countable people for me, and losing her would be a difficult one, as I would lose one of my real supporters forever.

I would pray god to provide her a peaceful life wherever she goes. A life with fewer sufferings, as she had seen a lot in this birth.

Her story of life had taught me to never give up in any situation. She had also taught me to cling to hope when nothing seems to be in favour in life.

I will miss her as the person in this materialistic world, but her life stories will always inspire me to move forward despite ordeals and tribulations.

She is a true warrior.

SWETA SARANGI

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
28–06–2026