Pimpri-Chinchwad girl Anvi Hinge wins blitz gold, standard silver at Asian School Chess Championship

Anvi Deepak Hinge of Pimpri-Chinchwad brought laurels to India at the 20th Asian School Chess Championship held in Tula, Russia. In the girls' under-9 category, she won the gold medal in blitz and the silver medal in standard, taking two medals in a single event.

With these two medals, Anvi's tally of international medals has risen to 15. The event was held from October 1 to 11 and drew 318 players from 12 countries.

Anvi made her mark in Russia, a country known for chess. She is a Class 4 student at Elpro International School in Chinchwad. She is being guided by Grandmaster Praveen Thipsay, International Master Nikhil Dixit and mental conditioning coach Ritu Baliyan Chaudhary.

Nine rounds were played in blitz. Anvi scored eight points to finish first, winning eight games and losing one. Bagul Jumayeva of Turkmenistan took silver with 7.5 points, while Leyla Isayeva of Russia won bronze with six points.

After losing in the fifth round, Anvi made a strong comeback with four wins in a row. She answered her opponents' moves swiftly and kept her focus under pressure. The performance raised her FIDE blitz rating by 58 points.

In standard, too, Anvi won silver with 6.5 points in nine rounds. Amaliya Yedreshева of Kazakhstan took gold with eight points, and Mia Kudryashova of Russia won bronze with six points. By winning medals in both the fast blitz and the standard format, which demands long thinking, Anvi showed her all-round ability.

Anvi has had success in national and international events before. At the age of eight years and eleven months, she earned the FIDE Woman Candidate Master title. In 2025, she was runner-up at the World Cadet and Youth Rapid and Blitz Championship in Greece. She has also won six medals, in individual and team categories, at the West Asian Youth Championship in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Praising Anvi, International Master Nikhil Dixit said her quick decision-making, concentration and spirit of bouncing back after a defeat are special. He expressed confidence that with regular practice and the right guidance, she can succeed in bigger events ahead.

Anvi's father, Deepak Hinge, expressed happiness at the achievement. He said the family's support is behind his daughter's hard work, and that the backing of Morde Sports Foundation and Laksh Sports has been very important in her international journey. Anvi said she was happy to win two medals for India and that she wants to raise her rating and go on to win major world-level titles.