New Delhi: All Assam Chess Federation general secretary Rajib Dhar slept soundly on Saturday morning. why not? His protégé Mayank Chakraborty has just achieved his final Grand Master (GM) standard at the 8th Grand Masters Championship in Sweden. In the process, the 16-year-old became the first grandmaster from Assam and Northeast India, and the 94th grandmaster in the country.Bedtime didn’t last long, however. Dahl felt a bang and heard a faint but extremely familiar voice: “Dad?” Dad? “That was Dahl’s little daughter, clutching the chessboard to her chest.“She hasn’t had much interest in chess yet, but today, she told me, ‘Dad, you teach me too, just like you taught Mayank Dada. I will also become Assam’s first WGM (Women Grand Master). If Mayank Dada can do it, then I can do it too,'” Dar told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive conversation.
pandu’s spark
Mayank was born in 2009, when he was about seven years old, and his mother, gynecologist Dr Monomita Chakraborty, contacted Dhar through Messenger.She settled in Pandu (a small place in Guwahati) and was looking for someone nearby to teach her restless son the basics of chess. Dar, who also hails from the same place and has trained Assam’s star international master (IM) Shahil Dey, agrees.“In the beginning, his tactical skills were great, but he was a little impatient and restless, like a kid at that age. But then he developed really well,” Dahl recalled.Mayank, now 16, soon started showing off his skills on the domestic circuit, becoming a three-time national champion in all age groups.“He had a high level of confidence; he was never afraid of who was sitting on the board,” Dahl said.
Mayank Chakraborty (Special Arrangements)
Realizing that Mayank had the innate potential to become a GM, Dar approached All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Nitin Narang for some financial help last year.“We have just asked AICF president Nitin Narang about sponsorship,” he revealed. “We told him he had the talent to be a master, so we needed a sponsor. He immediately said, ‘Okay, I will give him Rs 2.5 lakh for the next game. ‘”It can be said that the return on this investment is quite generous.
mother’s strategy
However, as the saying goes, behind every successful man, there is a woman. For Mayank, that woman is Monomita. To call her “devoted” would be an understatement.Dahl still remembers the moment that perfectly summed up her sacrifice.“I remember giving her a ChessBase pen drive. She was in surgery and she came out for a moment with blood on her gloves just to make sure Mayank got his material,” Dar revealed.When she worked the night shift at the hospital, Mayank often practiced her lines in the ward while his mother worked.
Mayank Chakraborty plays the black chess piece (special arrangement)
However, the balancing act eventually becomes impossible. In 2022, Monomita quit her government job to travel full-time with her son.“No one else took Mayank to the competition,” Dar shared. “His mother’s dedication was huge. She gave up everything because chess was the number one priority for them. This achievement is entirely due to her. “Monomita explained how her husband spent time with her son before she started traveling full-time. “My husband Keshab Chakraborty used to work for Airtel. In the early days of Mayank’s journey, I couldn’t travel much as I am still working till 2022. So initially it was my husband who accompanied him to the tournament,” Monomita told TimesofIndia.com from Sweden.She further explained why traveling with her son became necessary, adding, “Later, after my father-in-law passed away, our family faced some difficulties and my husband could no longer travel regularly. From then on, I started accompanying Mayank. At one point, Mayank also faced some health problems, he suffered from sinusitis and severe allergies.“Cold, especially when traveling overseas, often triggers his cold allergies. There will be times when he will need medical care and dealing with this situation abroad can be quite difficult and expensive for us. So, in this case, it became important for me to accompany him and accompany him on his journey. “
mission climax
For Monomita, victory in Sweden was the culmination of a pursuit that was as much about regional pride as it was about personal excellence.“Since 1988, Viswanathan Anand To be India’s first GM, Assam and the entire Northeast is waiting,” Monomita told this website.“When Mayank started learning chess seriously, his only goal was: ‘I will become the first grandmaster of Assam and the Northeast.’ With that motivation, we progressed.”The path is not linear. The COVID-19 pandemic halted their momentum for two years, and the transition from International Masters (IM) to Grandmaster proved to be a psychological mountain.
Mayank Chakraborty (Special Arrangement)
Mayank’s ratings fluctuated wildly from August 2023 to early 2026.“It was a frustrating phase,” Monomita admits. “He was a little skeptical because when you play too hard or aggressively, you lose rating points. I told him, ‘Once you hit 2,500, you only have a few months left.’ There was a threshold, maybe a moment of self-doubt. Once he passed that, he excelled in Prague and Sweden.”In Sweden, Mayank sealed the regular season with one round to go. The final round was just a formality, a victory for a boy who had spent half his life chasing sixty-four squares.
Mother calls for support
While the title of Grandmaster is now a reality, the financial reality of elite chess is another story. The Chakraborty family has depleted their savings and liquidated fixed deposits to fund a trip to Europe where the most competitive tournament will take place.“Chess is very expensive and time-consuming,” Monomita admits. “It’s not like other sports where you keep your ‘belt’ forever. In chess, the second you lose focus, your rating, your pride, disappears. In order to reach 2600, he needs to participate in elite tournaments and compete against the top 20 players in the world. But this requires a lot of money. “
Mayank Chakraborty (Special Arrangement)
Infrastructure in the Northeast, while improving through initiatives like Khel Mahotsav, still lacks the corporate support seen in states like Khel Mahotsav tamil nadu Or Maharashtra.“I have reached a level where I have to choose my priorities. My son is doing something for the whole of Assam,” Monomita said, her voice a mixture of pride and urgency.Also read: India welcomes first WIM from Northeast: How 15-year-old Arshiya Das is rewriting the geography of chess“I have used my savings from my government job. Now, his future depends on government help and business support. My son has the ability, he believes in himself. If people believe in him, I will follow him and let him continue his journey.”Back in Guwahati, children would wake their parents, chessboard in hand, ready to follow the path eventually blazed by the 94th Grandmaster.
