Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi

Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi, born on March 25, 1979, in Chennai, India, is a chess grandmaster. She began playing chess at a young age and quickly rose to prominence in the Indian chess community. Vijayalakshmi achieved the title of Woman Grandmaster in 1999 and became India's third female chess player to achieve the grandmaster title in 2001. Known for her strategic prowess and resilience on the chessboard, she has represented India in numerous international tournaments, earning accolades and admiration. Beyond chess, Vijayalakshmi is a role model for aspiring female chess players, inspiring them to pursue their passion for the game.

Here are some of her career achievements:

• She secured second place at the 1995 Zone tournament, in Madras
• Commonwealth Women’s Championship, in 1996, held in Kolkata
• The Asian Zone tournament in 1997, held in Teheran
• The first place at the 1999 Asian Zone tournament, held in Mumbai
• Won the Indian Women’s Championship six times in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, held in Madras, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai, New Delhi and Lakhnau, respectively
• Won a silver medal at the 34th Chess Olympiad of 2000, held in Istanbul
• Honoured with the Arjuna Award, in 2001
• Commonwealth Women’s Championship, in 2003, held in Mumbai
• Won Leonardo di Bona Memorial in 2007, held in Italy
• In 2016, at the 8th Chennai Open, she tied for 2^nd and 3^rd with Russian grandmaster Boris Grachev