Tania Sachdev: From TV presenter to Olympiad gold winner

Tania Sachdev at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
| Photo Credit: FIDE

From talking about the world’s elite athletes winning gold medals at the Paris Olympics as a television presenter to winning a gold herself at the Chess Olympiad within a space of a fortnight, Tania Sachdev went through the kind of experience not many could have.

“It was indeed incredible that I could be part of two Olympics in such different ways,” Tania told The Hindu on Sunday. “The Indian team for the Chess Olympiad was selected just two days before I left for Mumbai to do that gig for the Olympics. I have not been playing a lot of tournaments for the last couple of years. So I was thinking at that moment, ‘how am I going to pull this off?’”

She pulled it off, alright.

She played on the reserve board for India. She played five games, won two and drew three.

Tania is glad that she could contribute to India’s gold. “India may win Olympiad gold again, but it is a great feeling to know that I was part of the team that won it for the first time,” she says. “I can’t explain the emotions I went through, standing on the podium and receiving the gold medals – that along with our gold-winning medals team.”

Would she be tempted to play more after winning the Olympiad gold?

“I wish I knew the definite answer,” she says. “I love doing commentary, it is not a job for me; it is something I enjoy. But playing is still something I am involved with. I don’t know what the future holds for me in terms of the balance between playing and commentating, but I am so glad that I have won this gold before I have retired from competitive sport.”

Tania is a bit disappointed though that chess, or even the Olympiad gold, is not getting the attention it deserves in States like Delhi, where she lives. “It is really sad,” she says. “Look at a State like Tamil Nadu, which always honours its chess players and the way it conducted the last Olympiad two years ago. Some other States like Andhra and Telangana are also doing well. I hope that should be the case all over the country, so that more kids are inspired.”