Malika Handa (born 20 March 1995)[1] is a deaf Indian professional chess player and the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the International Deaf Chess Championship.[2] Since 2012, she has won the National Chess Championship of the Deaf eight times. This championship is organised by the All India Sports Council of the Deaf.[3] Handa is also a national awardee for best sportsperson.[3]
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Malika was born in Jalandhar, Punjab,[4] to Suresh and Renu Handa.[5] She was not born deaf but lost her hearing and speech when she was one year old. Now, she lives with a 90 per cent hearing disability.[5] She was introduced to chess in 2010 by her father when he brought home a chessboard. She was still a student in school. Malika quickly developed an interest in this game.[6][7] Her chess expertise helped her secure a seat in a mainstream college.[4]
Malika began to play chess when she was 15 years. She developed a passion for the game and she soon began to outplay her peers.[7] She has won the national deaf chess championship six times.[8] She has faced a lot of problems in her professional life and the biggest problem of all was the lack of aid from government. In the past nine years of playing, she has won more titles than those who have been playing for longer.[7] She is the only woman from Punjab to have represented the state nine times in national championships.[9] She has won one gold and two silvers in world deaf chess championship and as well as in Asian deaf chess championship.[10]