Dronavalli Harika is an Indian chess player and a Grandmaster (GM). She is one of the most prominent women chess players from India, having earned the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title and subsequently the open Grandmaster title awarded by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE). Harika has won three bronze medals at the Women's World Chess Championship knockout events and has represented India at numerous Chess Olympiads and Asian Games.
| Full name | Dronavalli Harika |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 January 1991 |
| Birthplace | Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Profession | Chess player |
| Federation | India |
| Title | Grandmaster (GM); Woman Grandmaster (WGM) |
| Honours | Arjuna Award (2007–08); Padma Shri (2016) |
| Employer | Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) |
Harika was born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, into a Telugu-speaking family. She was introduced to chess at a young age and trained under coaches including N. V. S. Rama Raju in her formative years. She later worked with Grandmaster Elizbar Ubilava of Georgia, among others, during her professional career.
Harika established herself early on the international junior circuit. She won the World Youth Chess Championship in the Girls Under-12 category in 2004 and the Girls Under-14 category in 2005. In 2008, she won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship, a key milestone in her transition to senior competition.
She earned the Woman Grandmaster title in 2007 and the open Grandmaster title in 2011, becoming the second Indian woman after Koneru Humpy to achieve the GM title. Her rating has frequently placed her among the top ten women players in the world.
Harika has won bronze medals at the Women's World Chess Championship knockout tournaments on three occasions: in 2012, 2015 and 2017, reaching the semi-final stage on each occasion. She has also participated in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix series across multiple cycles.
She has won the Asian Women's Chess Championship and multiple medals at the Commonwealth Chess Championship and Asian Continental events. She represented India at the Asian Games, contributing to team and individual medals in rapid and blitz formats.
Harika has been a regular member of the Indian women's team at the Chess Olympiad since the mid-2000s, playing on top boards. The Indian women's team won a bronze medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad held in Chennai in 2022, with Harika as part of the squad.
Along with Koneru Humpy, Harika has been a central figure in establishing India as a leading nation in women's chess. Her consistency at the elite level over more than a decade has helped raise the profile of the game among young women in India and contributed to the growth of chess in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Harika married Karteek Chandra in 2018. She continues to compete actively on the international circuit and is employed as a sports officer with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).