Abhimanyu shatters the chakravyuha of chess

This 11-year-old boy is cool and mature by nature. Class VI student of Symbiosis School Abhimanyu Puranik has open rating 1994 in Chess. He is the highest seeded player in his age group in India.
Playing chess is his passion for which he has travelled to many cities and countries across the globe. He joined chess classes in 2005 when he was just five and he started taking part in the district level tournaments just six months later.
Getting opportunity and guidance right time can turn the game into passion. The story begins when his mother's student gifted him a chess board on his birthday. Although, the family members played with him initially, his passion for the game drove him to chess classes. He was sent to Welankar Chess Classes in the vicinity where the winners were given Re 1coin. At that age, it was fun for him bringing home a coin of Re 1 every time. Soon, he shifted to Chess Academy run by C S and Jayant Gokhale.
He appeared for first district tournament in 2005 in under-7 age group when he was just five and won with 100 per cent score.  Dronacharya awardee Raghunandan Gokhale recommended his name for World School Chess Championship organized in Greece in 2007 where he emerged first by scoring 9/9 with cent per cent score.
In 2008, in Open World Youth Chess games held in Vietnam, he bagged gold medal in team for under-8 age group when he was just 7 years old. In 2010, he won bronze in Open World Youth Chess tournaments held in Greece. In 2012, he played as seeded candidate for the first time in Open World Youth Chess tournaments held in Central Brazil. 
"It's very prestigious to have become a seeded player. The Centre provides for all expenses occurred for playing matches thereafter. Right avenues at the right time have brought him the laurels," informs his proud mother. "The State has not even taken cognizance of his early achievements. The other states like Andhra, Chennai and Kerala are very proactive in boosting the moral of their players," she laments.
When asked what he wants to be in the future Abhinav replies without hesitating for a single moment, "Viashwanathan Anand!" Presently, he is on tour to Greece where he will take part in the Open Youth Chess Championship. He practises chess for six to seven hours a day when tournaments are round the corner. In general, he plays the game for a couple of hours every day. A tour to Europe is on his cards the next month to play chess. He will visit Czechoslovakia and Hungary. His teacher Raghunandan Gokhale will accompany him.
He has interest in other fields like cricket, football and reading. Collecting coins is another hobby. He has in his possession coins of more than 40 countries. He plays outdoor games after the chess matches are over. He wants to achieve grandmaster's title in couple of years. He has defeated highest rated Indian player Himanshu Sharma. He also defeated international master Arun Vaidya. He managed to draw a match with his coach Chandrashekhar Gokhale.
City based Laksha Sports has offered him a sports scholarship and a title of "Eklavya." He is entitled to attend three chess camps free of cost. Reading is another passion and he reads Pu La Deshpande, Sherlock Holmes,Tenalirama and Arabian Nights. He likes to watch quiz shows too. "The school is very cooperative and grants special leave not only for tournaments but also for practising the games. His total attendance this term would hardly be fifteen days. But school management is very liberal for sports students so that the students play without any pressure," informed his father. 
He remembers a match he played against Israel player Lauren Daniel in 2007. "I defeated Daniel very easily which his mother could not believe it. She asked me in the evening to play again with him. We played two games and I was the winner every time. Then and then only could she believe that her son was defeated not by fluke," says Abhimanyu.
"Practising chess reflects in his studies too. With so much game time and very less presence, he still scores not less than 85 per cent in academics. His concentration and gasping has increased tremendously," quip his grandparents.
— SANJEEVANI DIDMISHE