For, Niharika Thakkar, bursting with the energy of a sprinter, is likely to overrun you in this mind sport.

She is the winner of the inter-schools girls title, but a more important achievement came four weeks ago in August, when she won the entrants division chess title in a massive field of 226. After seven rounds, 30-odd players qualified for another six rounds of chess.

There was no stopping Niharika claiming the title, drawing just one game and winning the rest.

By any standard that is a remarkable achievement, especially from one not quite ten at the time.

How did such talent spring forth? Guess we should thank the weather!Niharika's father forbade her from venturing outdoors when it rained. So, along with elder brother Sameer, she picked up the basics of the gamefrom Dad as other kids frolicked outside.

When Lady Vissanji School, where the Thakkar siblings study, wished to send entries to the Bournvita tournament at Kalina, Niharika and Sameer raised their hands, confident they had learnt the game inside out when they only knew the basics.

Amazingly, Niharika finished joint first but was placed second on progressive scores.

After the performance, she was selected to represent the state in the National Children's Chess festival at the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Complex. Niharika, however, performed poorly in that event.Success was not long in coming. She claimed the top prize in the girls under-8 section in the Global Telesystems Open International Rating tournament by securing two points from 11 rounds. Some of the well names in the tournament were Pravin Thipsay and K Sasikiran.

Her father obviously realised that Niharika had some talent and put her and Sameer under the tutelage of Ravi Bhave and Pankaj Joshi.

Bhave has this to say aboutNiharika: ``She is amazingly talented and has made tremendous progress. Openings are not her strong points but her middle game is powerful. She thinks like a grown up. She converts a minor disadvantage arising out of the opening into thrilling victories.''The Mumbai Chess Association secretary, DB Pulekar, who conducted the entrants division title says she has got a brilliant positional understanding of the game. ``To add to it is her super cool temperament. She does not care whether she loses or wins, she plays in her own vein,'' he says.

Bhave adds: ``She doesn't care for reputation and that is a very strong point.'' Chess world ... watch out for this young lady!