New Delhi: “Chess is war on the board.” This line, often attributed to former world champion Bobby Fischer, has long defined the brutality of the 64-square. For some, gaming is a battlefield. For others, it’s an escape from reality.However, for India’s 93rd Grandmaster (GM) Aarav Dengla, chess takes on a more personal meaning.“It’s like a lifelong friend. You know if you have a board, you don’t need anyone else,” Arav’s mother Shipra Dengla told TOI in an exclusive interaction.
That ‘friend’ has now taken the Mumbai teenager to the top of his game.
Not just a mother, but a creator of champions
As they say, success requires sacrifice. Araf’s mother knew this better than most.“When he (Aarav) was six years old and just started participating in rating competitions, he got close to 800 rating points in four months, going from 1,000 points to almost 1,800 points. That was huge. I have never seen anything like it,” Shipra said.That’s when Araf, now 16, won the national title and qualified for the world championships in Brazil. Going to Brazil for your kids should be an easy next step. But this time, that’s not the case. Due to work reasons, his parents cannot travel with him.“I was working in Mahindra’s marketing department. I couldn’t go with him. His father couldn’t go either because of our commitments. So Aarav couldn’t participate in the event and I opted out in the same month. I knew the issue would continue to come up,” Shipra added.
Arav Dengla and the world’s number one general manager Magnus Carlsen (special arrangement)
From then on, Araf’s mother became his traveling companion and the architect who built the championship. However, when you ask Cipra about the title of Master, she refuses to acknowledge it.“Honestly, this is Arav’s personal achievement more than anything else. Chess is a very rigorous sport and only when a kid is really into it, super passionate and focused, can he multi-task and still achieve such a high title,” she added proudly.“We just support him to the best of our ability, find the best coach for him and put him in a mental state where it’s just him, his board and his coach.”Years later, this approach paid off.Aarav Dengla is now the 93rd Grandmaster of India and the third Grandmaster from Mumbai. He sealed his final standard in February 2026 by taking first place at the 2026 Sahabjelina GM & IM Round Robin Festival with a score of 7/9.
Laying the foundation at home
The story begins in the Pali Hills of Bandra, where chess is more of a household language. Aarav’s grandfather Bhavani Sharan Saxena and uncle Ashish Saxena were both outstanding players.“My father was a very good chess player. I learned from him,” Shipra recalled. When Araf was five years old, his grandfather introduced him to the basic moves.
Arav Dengla and his grandfather (special arrangement)
A year later, curiosity took over.“A friend of his was going to a chess tournament. He was older, about nine, and Araf just tagged along. I didn’t think much of it. He asked, ‘Can I participate?’ He was just excited that he was allowed to compete. And he won,” his mother giggled.His father Manoj Dengla, a CA level holder and Harvard Business School alumnus, sought the strongest guidance in Mumbai. After this search, they found senior master Pravin Thipsay.Academia remains non-negotiable. Aarav started studying at Dhirubhai Ambani International School, which was based on the IB curriculum and required discipline with a 90% attendance rate. He completed the Primary Years Program (PYP) and the Middle Years Program (MYP), often limiting chess competitions to school holidays.“Since he was six years old, he had been playing only during the holidays,” Shipra recalled.In ninth grade, he transferred to Andover Phillips Academy in the United States.
The influence of the first master
As mentioned earlier, Arav’s first official coach was Pravin Thipsay, one of the most respected minds in Indian chess.“His base is only a block away from us. Imagine a six-year-old kid training under a master,” Shipra said. “Mr. Tipsey always said that schooling was very important for a child’s growth and that it was helpful for playing chess. He encouraged him to write more.”
Arav Dengla (Special Arrangements)
“I was his first coach and his only coach for 3-4 years. He was five years old when we started training,” Tipsey told the website.“Sir comes every evening for a walk and spends an hour with Araf. Mr. Tipsey loved the game so much that it was impossible for anyone not to fall in love with it while he was there. ” added Arav’s mother, revealing how the veteran general manager’s lessons learned brought the budding chess enthusiast closer to the sport.
Instinct, Brotherhood and the Chennai Chapter
It wasn’t long before Arav’s family chose to regularly shift their base to the Indian chess mecca of Chennai for high-level work.“During the holidays, when he wasn’t playing, he was with Vishnu Prasana. Vishnu Prasanna was very picky about the students he admitted,” recalls Shipra.“I remember what Vishnu Prasanna said when I first met Aarav, that there are some things in chess that cannot be taught. I saw that in Aarav. The rest is my responsibility.”
Aarav Dengla and coach Vishnu Prasanna (special arrangement)
Led by Vishnu Prasanna, Aarav’s game has gone deeper. Talking about the details of their work, she revealed, “While training with a 9-10-year-old, I saw him working 12-14 hours; he was just obsessed with chess on the board.”D Gukesh is one of them. “During COVID, only Gukesh and Aarav were there. Gukesh was his good friend,” Shipra added.Another lasting bond was with Arjun Erigaisi. “He was almost like a brother to Araf,” Shipra said. As for coaching, Arav is currently training under the guidance of Vishnu Prasanna and Zaven Andriasian.
structural reality
Despite its size, Mumbai offers limited chess infrastructure compared to southern centres. That’s why Arav had a great time in Chennai.“The most challenging part about Mumbai is the training ecosystem. Academies are few and far between. Weekend matches are much less compared to Chennai and Hyderabad.”However, after achieving a milestone, the multilingual and sociable Aarav just wanted to push the boundaries further.“He goes to the gym, does strength training and runs 45 minutes a day. At least two hours of physical activity is mandatory. Fitness has a huge impact on mental sports. He has always been passionate about Taekwondo, swimming and other sports, and still is. At least 2 hours a day, it is mandatory for him,” Shipra added.Also read: India welcomes first WIM from Northeast: How 15-year-old Arshiya Das is rewriting the geography of chessAt 6 feet 2 inches tall, the 16-year-old meets the standards of both a modern professional athlete and a chess prodigy.However, even during the summit, the Dengla family had no predetermined script, Shipra concluded: “Is his goal to become a world champion? Or to prioritize academics? No one can predict.”
