India (Commonwealth Union)_ At just four years old, Odisha’s Elena Mishra has achieved a milestone that has brought national attention to her remarkable chess talent. She has become the youngest female player in India to receive an official FIDE rating, placing her name among the country’s youngest chess achievers. Accordingly, Elena earned a Blitz rating of 1432 in the September list released by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. She reached the milestone at the age of four years, six months and 16 days. Blitz chess is a fast-paced format in which players have only a short amount of time to complete their moves.
Also read: Miss World 2026: Malaysian Tamil girl Taanusiya Chetty makes a stunning Miss World mark!
According to reports, Elena is the only female player born in 2022 or later to have received an official FIDE rating in any time-control category. Her achievement is especially notable given her young age, when most children are only beginning to explore basic games and activities. Chess has been a familiar part of Elena’s life from an early age. She is the daughter of Odisha Grandmaster Swayams Mishra and Chandrima Ghosh. Growing up in a family closely connected to competitive chess has given her both guidance and encouragement.
Despite her age, Elena has already competed in several age-group categories, including Under-9, Under-11 and Under-13 events. She also won the Odisha Under-7 state championship, competing against children considerably older than her. Elena secured her FIDE rating after taking part in the Odisha State Blitz FIDE Rating Open Chess Championship 2026, held last month at Mother’s Public School in Bhubaneswar. For Elena, however, this is only the beginning. Her early success suggests that India may have another promising chess talent to watch in the years ahead.
Also read: Meet India’s AI kid: The 16-year-old AI boss has a surprising employee!
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated the young player on social media. He praised her talent and determination, saying her achievement was a matter of pride for the state and could encourage other children to follow their interests. Elena may be the youngest female player on an official FIDE rating list, but she is not the youngest player overall. That distinction belongs to Madhya Pradesh’s Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha, who appeared on the December 2025 FIDE list with a Rapid rating at just three years, seven months and 20 days.
