Bhakti Kulkarni Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Chess Player
Physical Stats & More
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Awards	2021: Loksatta Tarun Tejankit Award 2019: Geno Award
Title	• 2019: International Master • 2012: Woman Grandmaster
Personal Life
Date of Birth	19 May 1992 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2023)	31 Years
Birthplace	Goa, India
Zodiac sign	Taurus
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Goa, India
College/University	Mumbai University
Educational Qualification	2022: Bachelors in Arts from Mumbai University
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Husband/Spouse	N/A
Parents	Father- Pradeep Kulkarni Mother- Priya Kulkarni
Siblings	Brother- 2 Ankit Rajpara Utsav Rajpara

Some Lesser Known Facts About Bhakti Kulkarni

• 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 father’s 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 ½ 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 women’s chess tournament in the Czech Republic — Open Vysočina 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 Women’s 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 Women’s Champion, which was organised by the All India Chess Federation and Rajasthan Chess Association.
  

  Bhakti Kulkarni after winning the National women’s championship in 2018

• In 2019, she defeated M Mahalaxmi in the third round of the Asian Continental Open and Women’s 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

• Bhakti Kulkarni remains very active on various social media platforms. Over 4k people follow her Instagram account. On Facebook, she has over 2k followers. She often shares her picture and videos on social media.

• In 2020, Bhakti Kulkarni clinched a gold medal in the Online chess Olympiad.
  

  Bhakti Kulkarni after winning a gold in chess olympiad

• In September 2021, Bhakti Kulkarni earned the 2388 FIDE rating.

• Bhakti Kulkarni is a devoted environmental advocate, and she often campaigns to promote tree plantations on social media.
  

  Bhakti Kulkarni while planting a sapling at her home

• Bhakti Kulkarni is a fitness enthusiast. She regularly practices Pranayam and Meditation to keep her mind and body intact. In a media interview, she talked about her fitness routine. She said,
  

  In this game you need to keep your body fit in order for the mind to be fit.  Before the games and  tournaments, I indulge in some Pranayam and Meditation to keep the mind fresh.”

• Bhakti Kulkarni is a compassionate animal and bird lover. She has a pet bird named Baby Bulbul. She regularly posts pictures of her pet bird on social media.
  

  Bhakti Kulkarni with her pet bird

• Bhakti Kulkarni often endorses and advertises ethnic women brands on social media.
  

  An Instagram post by Bhakti Kulkarni while promoting an ethnic wear brand

• On 10 August 2022, Bhakti Kulkarni was a part of the first-ever Indian women’s team to win a bronze medal at an Olympiad organised in Chennai, India. The gold and silver medals in the women’s section were won by Ukraine and Georgia, respectively.
  

  Bhakti Kulkarni (extreme right) after winning the bronze medal in a chess Olympiad in 2022

• Apart from being a chess player, Bhakti Kulkarni is an excellent singer.
  

  Bhakti Kulkarni while singing

• Bhakti likes to do photography, swim, and play table tennis in her leisure time. In a media conversation, she discussed about her hobbies and recreational activities. She said,
  

  As I am fortunate to be able to visit other countries because of my game, I carry my camera. I also like to play table tennis, so I like to play post a game of chess during the tournaments and I also like swimming.”