There is no king or queen in her life, but a crown on her head. Daughter of a labourer with mother working as a sweeper, 15-year-old Mohini has been making the right moves. Class VIII-student of Government Middle School in Mohali’s Phase-IX, Mohini has stunned many by winning the Inter-Zonal under-17 District Chess Championship for Girls.

Practicing on mobile phone just for a few hours in a day and not even owning a chess board, Mohini emerged winner in her all league matches against those who had experienced coaches and all facilities that a player needs. “I started playing when I was in Class VII. We, a group of some students, started practicing on our own when our teacher introduced us to the game. She was the one who told us all the rules and tricks and moves of the game,” said Mohini, adding that at home.

Buoyed by her win at the inter-zone level while representing Mohali zone and her selection for the state-level tourney, Mohini is confident to represent her State and even the country in Chess, one day. Interestingly, she is the only player from the state government school, among the total six, selected for the state-level (Under-17) tournament.

For her success, Mohini gave credit to her family’s support and her school’s Social Science teacher Dr Amanpreet Kaur, who introduced her to the game. In fact, her teacher, who coached her just out of “passion”, couldn’t believe that a government school student can do so well in the absence of facilities. “Our government schools have a lot of talent and it’s just the lack of facilities that abstain this talent to come forward. I am happy that Mohini has been able to move ahead…I really believe that seeing her, many more Mohinis will feel encouraged and the Education Department would also recognize their talent,” she said.