Handenur Şahin

Handenur is one of the leading disabled chess players in Turkey. She started to play chess when she was ten. Her disability comes from a genetic mutation, her patience is called SMA. It is a rare type of muscular disease which causes muscular weakness increasing with age of the patient. She has been using the wheelchair since she was four. Despite this difficult disease, her family always supported her and she became a leading chess player in girls section in the country.

`chess`

2019: Confederation Cup for Disabled People, First Prize in Physical Disabled Women Section
2019: Turkish University Chess Championship, First Prize in Women Section
2018: Spor&Spor Magazine Sportswoman of The Year
2018: Turkish Women Chess Championship, Third Prize
2017 & 2016: Özhan Canaydın Sportswoman of The Year in Amateur Branches
2016: Turkish University Chess Championship, First Prize in Women Section
2015: Turkish Youth U-18 Girls, First Prize
2014 & 2013: European Schools Chess Championship U-17 Girls Fifth Prize
2013: Turkish Youth U-16 Girls, Third Prize
2012: Turkish Youth U-15 Girls, Third Prize
2012: Isbank Turkish Super Chess League, U-15 Girls, First Prize
2010: World Schools Chess Championship, U-13 Girls, Sixth Prize

She played as a member of the national team in the U-18 and Women tournaments. Now she continues to play as a member of the national chess team for disabled.

Also, she has continued to pursue her academic career. She graduated with first place from primary school. She got into the high school and finished it with first place again. Now, she is a student of Political Science in Galatasaray University, one of the most prominent universities in the field of social sciences in Turkey.