NEW DELHI: “Chess is war over the board.” The line, often attributed to former World Champion Bobby Fischer, has long defined the brutality of the 64 squares. For some, the game is a battlefield. For others, it is an escape from reality.For India’s 93rd Grandmaster (GM), Aarav Dengla, however, chess holds a far more personal meaning.“It’s like a friend for life. You know if you have a board with you, you don’t need anybody else,” Aarav’s mother, Shipra Dengla, told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction.
That “friend” has now carried the Mumbai teenager to the game’s summit.
Not just a mother but an architect of a champion
As they say, success takes sacrifice. Aarav’s mother knows that better than most.“When he (Aarav) was six and had just started playing rated tournaments, he gained almost 800 rating points, from 1000 to nearly 1800, in four months. That was huge. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Shipra said.It was then that Aarav, now 16, won the national championship and qualified for the World Championship in Brazil. Going to Brazil for the kid should have been a straightforward next step. But this time, it wasn’t. Work commitments meant neither parent could travel with him.“I was working with Mahindra’s in marketing. I could not go with him. Neither could his dad because of our commitments. So Aarav couldn’t play that event, and I chose to quit the same month. I knew this problem would keep coming up,” Shipra added.
Aarav Dengla and World No. 1 GM Magnus Carlsen (Special Arrangements)
From then on, Aarav’s mother became his travel companion and an architect who built a champion. Yet ask Shipra about the Grandmaster title, and she refuses to take ownership.“Honestly, it’s Aarav’s personal achievement more than anything. Chess is such a rigorous sport that only when a child is really into it, super passionate and focused, can he manage multiple things and still get such a high title,” she added in a voice resonating with pride.“We just supported him to the best of our ability, got him the best trainers, and left him in a mental state where it was just him, his board, and his trainer.”Years later, that approach has paid off.Aarav Dengla is now India’s 93rd Grandmaster and only the third GM from Mumbai. He sealed his final norm in February 2026 at the GM & IM Round Robin Festival Saha Bijeljina 2026, finishing first with 7/9.
Foundations laid at home
The story begins in Bandra’s Pali Hill, where chess was more of a household language. Aarav’s grandfather, Bhavani Sharan Saxena, and maternal uncle, Ashish Saxena, were accomplished players.“My father is an extremely good chess player. I learnt from him,” Shipra recalled. When Aarav turned five, he was introduced to the basic moves by his grandfather.
Aarav Dengla with his grandfather (Special Arrangements)
A year later, curiosity took over.“A friend of his was going for a chess tournament. He was older, about nine years old, and Aarav just tagged along. I never thought much of it. He asked, ‘Can I participate?’ He was just excited that he was being allowed to play. And then he won it,” his mother giggled.His father, Manoj Dengla, a CA rank holder and a Harvard Business School alumnus, sought out the strongest guidance available in Mumbai. And that search led them to veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay.Academics remained non-negotiable. Aarav began at the IB curriculum-based Dhirubhai Ambani International School, where a 90 per cent attendance rule demanded discipline. He completed the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), often restricting competitive chess to school vacations.“He has always played only during vacations from the age of six,” Shipra recalled.In ninth grade, he transitioned to Phillips Academy Andover in the United States.
The first master’s influence
As mentioned before, Aarav’s first formal coach was Pravin Thipsay, one of Indian chess’s most respected minds.“He was based just a block away from us. Imagine, a six-year-old training with a Grandmaster,” Shipra stated. “Thipsay sir would always say schooling is really important to build a child, and it helps in chess. He encouraged him to write a lot.”
Aarav Dengla (Special Arrangements)
“I was his first coach and the only one for 3-4 years. He was just five years old when we started training,” Thipsay told this website.“Sir used to come for his walk every evening and spend an hour with Aarav. Thipsey sir loves the sport so much that it’s impossible for someone not to fall in love with that sport when he is there,” Aarav’s mother added, revealing how lessons from the veteran GM pushed the budding chess enthusiast closer to the game.
Instinct, brotherhood, and the Chennai chapter
It was not long before Aarav’s family chose to shift base periodically to Chennai, the Mecca of Indian chess, for advanced work.“On vacations, when he was not playing, he was training with Vishnu Prasanna. And Vishnu Prasanna is very selective with the students that he takes,” Shipra recalled.“I remember Vishnu Prasanna’s statement in the first meeting when he met Aarav, he said there are some things in chess which cannot be taught. I see that in Aarav. The rest is my responsibility.”
Aarav Dengla with coach Vishnu Prasanna (Special Arrangements)
It was under Vishnu Prasanna that Aarav’s game deepened. Going into details of the work they were putting up, she revealed, “While training with the 9-10 year olds, I have seen him work for 12-14 hours; he would just be obsessed with chess on the board.”Among those sharing the grind was D Gukesh. “During COVID times, it was just Gukesh and Aarav there. Gukesh is a very good friend of his,” Shipra added.Another enduring bond is with Arjun Erigaisi. “He is almost like a brother to Aarav,” Shipra said. As for coaches, Aarav currently trains under Vishnu Prasanna and Zaven Andriasian.
Structural realities
Mumbai, for all its scale, offers limited chess infrastructure compared to southern hubs. And this is what led Aarav to spend a nice amount of time in Chennai.“The most challenging part in Mumbai is the training ecosystem. There are very few academies, and distances are quite a bit. Weekend tournaments are far less compared to Chennai and Hyderabad.”However, with a milestone achieved, Aarav, who is a polyglot and highly sociable, just wants to push the boundaries further.“He goes to the gym, does strength training, runs 45 minutes every day. At least two hours of physical activity is mandatory. Fitness has a huge impact on a mental sport. He’s always been into taekwondo, swimming, various things and he still does that. At least 2 hours every day, it’s mandatory for him,” Shipra added.ALSO READ: India gets first WIM from Northeast: How 15-year-old Arshiya Das is rewriting chess geographyAt 6’2”, the 16-year-old cuts the figure of a modern professional athlete as much as a chess prodigy.Nevertheless, even amid the summit, there is no predetermined script in the Dengla household as Shipra concluded, “Would he like to aim for becoming world champion? Or take up academics as a priority? Nobody can predict.”
