To move forward in life, it is very important to have courage, passion and proper planning. It is said that if you want to achieve something you’ve never had, you have to do something you never did, and that means going out of your comfort zone. Embodying this sentiment, this prodigy from Jalandhar, switched from tennis to play chess, He went on to become the first ever Punjabi Chess player to achieve the title of International Master. His name is Dushyant Sharma.
Chess player Dushyant Sharma is the only international master from Punjab. At the age of just 8, his father gave him a chess board, but he used to love playing tennis. But after that he started playing chess with his father. One day during tennis coaching, he saw his coach also playing chess, so he played a friendly game with him. The coach was extremely impressed by the young prodigy’s prowess, and then immediately made Dushyant’s parents aware of his talents.
Dushyant tasted success by participating in regional competitions eventually going on to winning district and state level competitions. He eventually started competing at a national level. Then he continued associating with Chess and playing national and international competitions. His impressive performance in the World Junior Under-20 in Mexico and his winning a silver medal during the Commonwealth games held in Sri Lanka in November 2020, gave him the prestigious honor of being Punjab’s first ever International Master.
He currently still holds the title of International Chess Master. Dushyant is now diligently practicing and honing his skills to achieve the title of Punjab’s first ever Grand Master. Dushyant’s father, Hemant Sharma, is an excise officer and mother Divya Sharma is a housewife. Still at the ripe age of 20, Dushyant is a second year BBA student at APJ College.