Make it reign: Inside the world of India’s female chess players

(Clockwise from top) Bhagyashree Thipsay is a five-time national champion. She participated in nine Olympiads, as part of the Indian women’s team, in the 1980s and 1990s. Koneru Humpy was India’s first-ever female Grandmaster, a feat she achieved at the age of 15. She is still India’s reigning queen, sitting at #1 on the national women’s charts. Harika Dronavalli is one of only three female Grandmasters in India. She was part of the team that beat the mighty Kazakhstan to claim gold in Budapest. (PHOTOS: HT Archives, FIDE)