Chess champ's dream of a lifetime

SHREEYA Mahadeo’s father taught her to play chess when she was just seven, and within a year, she was already checkmating him.

Now, at 15, the Durban prodigy is preparing to represent South Africa at the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia next month. But that dream hangs in the balance, as she works to avoid a financial stalemate.

On the brink of her first international tournament, Shreeya told the Independent on Saturday that she’s hoping enough funds can be raised to cover expenses like flights, accommodation, and entrance fees. The trip would take her one step closer to her goal of becoming a Grandmaster and a FIDE (the international chess federation) Master.

“Even if a game or competition doesn't result in a podium position, it's always about the experience and lessons learned that count in life,” she said.

The Durban Girls’ College pupil who has won multiple awards for SMART Mental Arithmetic, a Japanese mental maths technique, is the epitome of hard work. She’s up at 5am to train and fit in some studying before school. In the afternoons, she trains again before turning to her schoolwork.

“I play online games and do warm-up puzzles to sharpen my tactics before training,” she said.

As tournaments approach, the intensity ramps up. “I go through my openings and theory before a tournament so that I know what to play when it comes up.”

In June, she clinched a National Chess SA title. At the inaugural KZN Chess Awards in August, she was nominated for three awards. She also represented Team eThekwini at the KZN Women’s Chess Championship, picking up the award for Best Player for Board 2 with a perfect score of 6/6. She has also been selected to represent Team KZN at the 2025 Mzansi Inter-Provincial Youth Chess Championship in December in Gqeberha.

Shreeya credits chess with teaching her about discipline, consistency and the real drivers behind success.

She doesn’t have a single favourite player, but enjoys watching top grandmasters like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.

“Watching their games helps me get a broader understanding of different playing styles, and how they prepare for tournaments or approach the game mentally,” she said.

So far, she has reached 43% of her target to get to Malaysia and has thanked all those who have contributed.

“It's been an incredibly moving and emotional experience to see that much support. Watching the numbers increase each day makes me believe that my dream of going to Malaysia will come true.”

Her father, Sebastian Mahadeo, remembers how quickly she picked up the game, and how he no longer stood a chance against her.

“Even with openings, she’d memorise all kinds of lines. I’d try to throw her off by playing something unexpected, but she’d adapt instantly, change her strategy, take control of the middle game, and still win the endgame,” he said.

Since those early matches, Shreeya has steadily climbed the ranks, beating players in her age group and adults with years of experience. But now, money is her biggest opponent.

“This is her first international tournament. She wasn’t able to go for others before because of financial restrictions. I think she’s at the right age now to represent South Africa internationally, and this tournament will show the world what she’s capable of.”

Mahadeo launched a BackaBuddy campaign to raise the R81 000 needed to get her to Malaysia. With just over 20 days to go, they’ve raised R34 000 so far.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re struggling to meet the target and are asking the community to get behind her. She’s giving everything to represent her country. Any assistance, whether big or small, would be appreciated,” he said.

Lindokuhle Ngubane, President of KZN Chess, said the lack of funding is a constant challenge.

“We develop players to participate in international tournaments, but there’s no funding allocated for that,” he said.

Ngubane confirmed that Shreeya has been selected for two more international tournaments later this year. Both will also cost thousands.

“She is one of the strongest players we have in KZN and has represented our province nationally. Unfortunately, these events come at the expense of the parent. When players are selected to represent the country, the national department of sport and Sascoc (the national sports body) should be supporting them,” Ngubane said.

To help fund Shreeya’s journey to Malaysia, you can contact her father via WhatsApp on 084 679 3800 or visit: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/commonwealth-chess-shreeyas-journey-to-malaysia