From a small Telangana village to the global stage, India’s rising chess boxing star clinched silver at the 7th World Championship in Serbia, bringing her international medal tally to 24
From a small village in Kamareddy to international arenas, Pratibha Thakkadpally has emerged as one of India’s most promising martial arts champions. Recently, she won a silver medal at the 7th Chess Boxing World Championship in Serbia, marking her 23rd international medal — including 18 golds, four silvers, and one bronze.
Breaking the mold
Growing up in Pitlam, the idea of a girl taking up boxing or martial arts was almost unheard of. Her parents, who run a school in the village, believed sports like boxing “weren’t meant for girls.” But Pratibha had already made up her mind. “I knew if I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t do anything,” she says.
When she moved to
Hyderabad for her studies, Pratibha secretly joined martial arts training classes with support from her brother. “The fascination began when I watched Mike Tyson’s powerful bouts and later, Mary Kom’s triumphs. That fantasy of wanting to be powerful shaped my journey,” she recalls.
Brains, brawn, and chess
Over the years, she has mastered eight martial art forms — boxing, kickboxing, chess boxing, taekwondo, MMA, Muay Thai, grappling, and wushu — and is now training in fencing, shooting, and horse riding.
Against the odds
At the world championship in Serbia, India fielded one of the smallest contingents — just 13 players against 75-member teams from other nations. “We had visa delays, no rest days, and back-to-back matches,” Pratibha says, her voice tinged with resentment. “If it were cricket, we’d have all the support in the world. Combat sports still don’t get their due in India.”
Training tomorrow’s champions
An MBA graduate from JNTU Hyderabad, Pratibha has trained over 6,000 girls in self-defence, conducting free workshops across KGBVs (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas) in Kamareddy, the Telangana Police Academy, and IIT Madras. “The energy among these girls is incredible. They have the strength — physical and emotional — but what they lack is support and training,” she emphasizes. Alongside her athletic pursuits, Pratibha is also focused on academics. After studying psychology, she’s now pursuing journalism through distance learning. “I dream of earning five degrees,” she says.
Road ahead
For She now trains women in combat sports to empower them. “I once dreamed of representing India alone,” she says. “Now, I dream of building an army of strong women who can fight back, in and out of the ring.” Looking ahead, Pratibha hopes to set a Guinness World Record and is training for the upcoming Olympics.
