Bhakti Kulkarni is an Indian chess player. In 2012, she earned the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM), and in 2019, she clinched the International Master (IM) title.Bhakti Kulkarni was 2.5 years old when she started playing chess. She inherited the skill of chess from her father, who used to play chess during his college days. In a media interview, she stated that her father was an avid chess player when he was young, and she used to sit on her fathers lap while he used to play chess. She said, I feel I am very fortunate as my skill comes from my dad who was an avid chess player right from his college days. I still remember that I used to sit on his lap while he used to play chess and that is how I learned this logical mind game at 2 years of age.When I turned 4, I started playing tournaments. A childhood picture of Bhakti Kulkarni while playing chess.At the age of six, she won a State Under-7 Championship and got selected for the Nationals in 1998 and stood 3rd in the junior national championships. In 2008, she competed in the National Beat Tournament, which was organised by the Goa Chess Association and won the Best Goan title.In 2010, she won Asian gold in U-18 in China. She was accompanied by her coach Dronacharya Gokhale. Bhakti Kulkarni with her coach Dronacharya Gokhale Sir and world champion Karpov at China in 2010.In 2011, she was the winner of the Asian Junior Chess Championship. She then won the international womens chess tournament in the Czech Republic Open Vysoina in 2013. In 2016, she participated in the Asian Chess Women Championship and won the same. In 2009 and 2016, she competed for the Indian team in the Womens Asian Team Chess Championship. She won a bronze medal in 2009 in the individual competition. Bhakti Kulkarni after winning one of the prestigious tmts- Asian Continental (women) at Tashkent, Uzbek in 2016.In September 2018, she won the 3rd International Master Norm at the Fischer Memorial Chess tournament in Greece. Bhakti Kulkarni upon winning the 3rd International Master Norm at the Fischer Memorial Chess tournament in Greece.In a media conversation, once, Bhakti Kulkarni dedicated her success to her coaches. She said, I cannot think that I could have achieved this success without Gokhale sir and his wife Anupama madam. Anupama madam had won the Asian Women title in 1985 and 1987. I met him when I was 7 years old. He trained me without taking any sort of fees. One of the most famous chess couples of India Arjuna awardee Anupama Gokhale and Dronacharya award winner Raghunandan Gokhale.In 2018, she was the winner of the National Womens Champion, which was organised by the All India Chess Federation and Rajasthan Chess Association. Bhakti Kulkarni after winning the National womens championship in 2018.In 2019, she defeated M Mahalaxmi in the third round of the Asian Continental Open and Womens Championships organised in Xingtai, China. In the same year, she won the National Women Senior Chess Championship organised at Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. Bhakti Kulkarni upon winning the National Women Senior Chess Championship at Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu in 2019.In 2019, she won a bronze medal at Commonwealth Championships. Bhakti Kulkarni posing after winning the bronze medal at Commonwealth Championships in 2019.