Saloni Sapale

Founder and Head Sports Psychology Consultant

As a Woman International Master turned sports psychology consultant, I strive to support chess players in becoming mentally stronger and reaching the next level. I am here to transform how chess players think, compete, and win, which will ultimately propel their mental game to new heights. I have a straightforward value-for-money approach, making sure every client leaves each session with a tangible new skill that is immediately usable. I believe in collaborating and partnering to achieve one’s innate potential.

My Chess Background

2005

Started playing chess and won my first district tournament in Pune at the age of 6

2014

Won silver medal at the World Amateur Chess Championship and achieved the Woman Candidate Master title

2015

Won silver medals at Asian Schools U-17 Chess Championship and World Schools U-17 Chess Championship

2015

Won bronze medal at Commonwealth U-16 chess championship and increased my rating by almost 300 points within the same year

2017

Achieved my career high rating of 2308 and also completed two norms towards the Woman International Master title

2018

Completed the last required norm and achieved the Woman International Master title

2019

Received the Shiv Chhatrapati Rajya Krida Puraskar (state award for sports excellence) for achieving excellence in the field of chess

2020

Played my last rating tournament - the World Junior Chess Championship - in 2019, and pivoted towards pursuing higher education in sports psychology post-pandemic

Education and Sports Psychology Background

Degrees

  • Bachelor of Arts - Psychology from Fergusson College, Pune
  • Post-graduate diploma in School Psychology from Pune University
  • Master of Science - Performance, Sports and Exercise Psychology from University of Illinois at Chicago

Sport and Performance Psychology work

  • Worked with professional, NCAA Division-I, and youth athletes across sports such as golf, swim and dive, track and field, cross-country, wrestling, handball, and chess to boost their mental well-being and work collaboratively to achieve peak performance
  • Created personalized mental performance enhancement plans involving skills such as goal setting, visualization, self-talk, attention control, stress management, and more to bring about a holistic and long-lasting behavior change and promote emotional well-being 
  • Worked with UIC Army ROTC cadets to boost their mental performance by conducting mental skills workshops on topics like problem-solving, decision-making, adaptability, and communication - skills useful amongst tactical populations

Research work and conference presentations

  • Presented my research proposal titled ‘Mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions for professional chess players to effectively manage sport-related stress and anxiety’ at the Midwest Sports and Exercise Psychology Symposium (MSEPS) 2024
  • Presented a workshop aimed at teaching mental performance consultants the utility of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) in stopping the ‘Bogey train’ in golfers with my colleagues at MSEPS 2024
  • Writing a case-study research paper on the efficacy of a solution-focused approach to enhance resilience during sports injury rehabilitation

Certifications

  • Actively pursuing the Certified Mental Performance Consultant certification through the Association of Applied Sports Psychology
  • Adept at upholding the highest standards of good clinical practice and human research and subjects protection