A chess prodigy who until recently would make do with her father’s mobile phone to study moves has just won the U-9 national championship for girls.

Sneha Halder, 9, did not own a laptop, considered an indispensable accessory in competitive chess, till a charitable organisation donated one to her a couple of months ago. What she always had were the traits of a champion, which her parents recognised early and did everything possible to hone.

The Class IV student’s introduction to chess was through her father, a private tutor who earns barely enough to rent a single-room home in Maheshtala. Bhogirath Halder had learnt chess from one of his students and thought that his daughter would take to it.

A pastime quickly turned into a passion for Sneha after her father enrolled her for coaching in a neighbourhood club. That was in 2014. She now trains at Dibyendu Barua’s academy in Ballygunge and at another one in Kalighat.

At the national championship in Ranchi from September 15 to 23, Sneha had lost her third-round match but made a stunning comeback to top the event. “I was a bit nervous towards the end but somehow pulled through,” she told Metro on Tuesday of the biggest achievement so far.

For her parents, the victory means more than just a milestone in a career that has only just begun. “For us, it’s an everyday struggle to keep her going. Moments like these give us the courage to continue,” Bhogirath said.

Before the national championship, Sneha had proved her prowess by winning the U-9 Bengal championship in Howrah in 2017 and an all-India FIDE-rated tournament in Pune earlier this year.

According to Grandmaster Barua, his academy’s latest star is “very sharp” and “has a solid intuition”.

“But she is very restless because of her age. Her opening game is weak compared to her middle and endgame. She will improve a lot as she grows up,” he said.

Sneha spends six hours a day practising chess. She admits to not liking studies much, although she does consider English her favourite subject.

Her father isn’t worried about his daughter’s education as much as he is about how to fund her travel and other expenses. “We get some help from the organisers and the chess federation, but it is not enough,” he said.