Adult Improver Supraja Vadlamani on How She Went from Chess Noob to the Olympiad in a Few Years.

The Adult Improver Series returns to spotlight the inspiring story of another amateur chess player. This week’s guest is Supraja Vadlamani. Supraja is an India-born, Uganda-based economist who learned to play chess just a few years ago. Her interest intensified during the pandemic, and through some unusual circumstances, Supraja got the opportunity to play in the Olympiad for Niger. Supraja has made impressive chess progress in just a few years, reaching Chess.com blitz and rapid ratings of 1800 and 1750 respectively. In a short time, Supraja has improved her game immensely and crossed paths with the likes of GM Fabiano Caruana and IM Eric Rosen. She shares her unique chess story and hard-won improvement advice. Timestamps of topics discussed and links of resources referenced can be found below.
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0:1:30- Supraja joins the podcast and shares her chess origins.
Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen, WGM Tijana Mandura, GM Igor Smirnov, Chessmood.com, The Russo Gambit
13:00- What is Supraja’s approach to speed chess ?
16:00- Life in Uganda
19:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Is chess supported by the government in Niger?”
21:00- How is the chess scene in Uganda?
22:00- Supraja details her fierce chess rivalry with her boyfriend
23:00- Olympiad reflections and sightings
Mentioned: GM Fabiano Caruana
30:00- Supraja’s tournament plans
37:00- How much time per week does Supraja study chess?
39:00 Does she follow professional class?
41:00- Supraja’s favorite and least favorite aspects of chess
42:00- Supraja’s favorite openings
Mentioned: Maia bots
45:00- Supraja completes her IM Eric Rosen story
Mentioned: Cameo.com
49:00- Supraja’s closing chess advice.
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[@gerard8023]

A fun, enjoyable interview. Thanks to you both.

[@ChessAsKungFu]

1800 in two years good lord. What an advertisement for Chess Mood and Eric Rosen!

[@MrSupernova111]

I always find the details of these stories very suspicious. This type of improvement was unheard before the covid boom. However, the internet is filled with these type of adult improvers these days. Very strange that so many "gifted" players do all their improvement in a 1-2 year span before they disappear.

[@mcronrn]

I always find comments like these amazingly unimaginative. If you can’t imagine a super bright individual coming to chess as an adult and, armed with RUclips knowledge and world class coaching, getting to the intermediate level, then you should go meet some bright people and see what they’re like. Brace yourself - there are dazzling intellects out there that have never touched a chess board.

[@MrSupernova111]

@@mcronrn . Intellect doesn't replace experience. Most of these people have been playing somewhere before they started playing in rated otb then the meteoric rise in rating. Otherwise, these prodigies would blow past 2k otb rating but it rarely happens because 1800-2000 is about the limit for amateur players. Suddenly, their "gift" disappears and a new wave of would-be prodigies emerges.