New Delhi: Last week, 13-year-old Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Follow Bordoloi made history for India in Montesilvano, Italy. Competing at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship 2026, the youngster from Bengaluru bagged a silver medal in the Under-18 Girls category.Entering the FIDE 16th round in 2129, the Shishya BEML Public School student produced an undefeated campaign, scoring 9 points out of 11 matches against a player up to five years older than him.India fielded 13 athletes in six events, but Flögetie returned home as the country’s lone medalist, earning her first WIM routine and scoring over 129 Elo points. At the end of the story there are two interesting things and perhaps the story of a quiet, well-known young man who lives chess like mathematics, balances all kinds of life, and shares an unusual birthday with a chess legend.
Kasparov’s cooperation
The next was born on April 13, 2013, exactly 50 years after the famous one Garry Kasparovwho was born on April 13, 1963. After a shared birthday, his teacher, Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, sees an intellectual similarity.“Some of the qualities that I see. Even in a bad situation in the competition where they are behind in points or something, they prepare well to try to hit so that they can perform at the top,” Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction.
Garry Kasparov, six-time world chess champion
However, Thipsay emphasizes that Pratitee is far from a one-of-a-kind athlete, adding, “Pratitee is not a chess master. He is a math wizard, and he comes first in all tests.”Her mother, Pranti Dutta Bordoloi, remembers how her daughter’s journey took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.Without rigorous training, the 9-year-old student surprised everyone by winning the 2022 Karnataka State Championship, followed by the National Under-9 title in Indore six months later.“He was very good at math,” Pranti told the site. “He was giving Maths Olympiad since 1st grade and won a gold medal in SOF IMO. At that time I just thought that he should be good at chess too, because he does well at Maths Olympiad.”Despite growing up fast, her family remains deeply committed to a sustainable lifestyle. “Honestly speaking, we’re not the kind of people who, ‘leave everything behind only chess.’ Our first priority is always education. Not at the cost of learning, because eventually you have to learn, otherwise life will not be balanced. “
Think about thinking for yourself
“Compared to his age, he is very mature as a person, and his thoughts are very high,” Thipsay said. “If you tell him that something is good or bad, he will not accept it blindly. He will ask until he is satisfied, and his persistence is very important.”This analytical thinking makes him a rare commodity in junior chess. “He’s one of the few players who doesn’t get tired of learning the endings or finding the right moves because he thinks it’s natural. Mathematically, it makes perfect sense,” said the former Grandmaster.At the World Cadet Cup last year, when Flögtie won gold in the Girls Under 12 category, she set a unique path with Thipsay. He liked to rest soon after his games, waiting until the games were published late at night.
Follow Bordoloi’s latest coach Pravin Thipsay (PTI Photo)
“After finishing, which is around 9 o’clock, which means 10:30 pm Indian time, he would say, ‘I want to have an hour or an hour and a half class,’ and we used to study,” Thipsay said. “He is very prepared in preparation … he wants to learn everything about the position.”This hyper-focus allows him to think independently in a group. “Dr. Lasker (Emanuel Lasker) said that a teacher’s job is to teach children to think for themselves. They have the power,” said Thipsay.
Keeping the pieces
Despite her age, Flögtie remains in control, managing to sleep 9 to 10 hours and exercise using a punching bag and cycling.With his mother holding a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Christ University and his father working in a leading IT company, Flegtie was raised to ensure that competitive violence was confined to the chessboard.
Follow Bordoloi at the FIDE Youth Chess Championship (Special Arrangements)
“I always like to tell him that if you also win, don’t show your happiness in front of your opponent because he must be very bitter at that time,” said Pranti.ALSO READ: Making 97th Chess Grandmaster Harshavardhan GB of India: ‘Legend’ among friends, now the pride of his parentsIn a recent interview, the 13-year-old was asked about his future. “He gave two answers,” his mother recalled proudly. “One was, ‘I want to be a world champion.’ And again he said beautifully, ‘I want to play well.’
