Devesh Sharma, an 11-year-old from Edinburgh, has become so strong that he now competes for Scotland against adults rather than children his own age. He was tipped as a future Grandmaster after last week starring in a four-nations under-18s chess competition as one of its highest-rated players.
There are also under-12 and under-14 teams Devesh could play for, but he is now too advanced for that level. He first discovered chess playing against his dad during the Covid pandemic and has since started a popular chess club at his school, Gracemount Primary.
Why chess?
Speaking as he travelled between Limerick, Ireland and Coventry, England for competitions, Devesh said: “Why I like chess is, first of all, it’s a good way to meet people around the world and make new friends. “The second thing is, it’s always nice to win, And the third thing is it’s not a luck game. It’s based on your hard work.”
He describes his style as “aggressive” but admits it can be daunting competing against older players. He said: “I do feel nervous before the games but once you’re in the game, you always need to think you’re playing the board, not the person. “My school is very supportive, they let me take holidays if I’m going to a chess tournament.” Devesh’s ultimate dream is to become a chess world champion and Grandmaster.
Tournament success
The primary pupil, who turned 11 in April, came third last month in the annual Scottish Chess Championships in Hamilton. Last week, he played on board one for Scotland – the top player position – in the Glorney Gilbert International in Limerick, facing teams from England, Wales and Ireland.
Devesh’s father, Rajiv Sharma, said: “It’s an amazing opportunity as a child. Devesh was so happy to represent Scotland. “From the five games, he only lost one game which was a fighting game until the very last, a five-hour game against the highest-ranked Irish player. “He won the rest of the games except the last which was a draw.”
Calls for more support
Rajiv warned that there is not enough government support for chess in Scotland to help talents like his son. He added: “I’m just the helper - Devesh is the one driving the show. I’m just trying to give him as much exposure as I can. “The best kids in England, for example, are being supported financially, sponsors are there and so on. “Unfortunately in Scotland, they don’t really support chess. As you go up the rankings you need to really put in a huge amount of money, mainly for travel and accommodation to competitions. “Other countries like India invest huge amounts of money.”
Ruaridh MckKay, a director at Chess Scotland, said: “We’ve got a few really talented juniors coming through and Devesh is one of them. “We’re really excited by his development trajectory. In 2023, Devesh was bottom board of the under-12s. Three years later, he’s top board at the under-18s. That’s remarkable.”
The Queen’s Gambit effect
The game received a major popularity boost in 2020, when the Netflix mini-series The Queen’s Gambit – about a fictional female chess player in the 1950s and starring Anya Taylor-Joy – aired. Sales of chess sets surged by 1100 per cent and millions of players signed up to online chess platforms.
