Durban youngster secures calculated victory in national maths competition

Durban’s Shreeya Mahadeo was crowned national Champion of Champions during the Abacus Maths Soroban Association of South Africa (AMSASA) National Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Championship. During the same championship she was placed 2nd in the National Dictation Challenge were she was even, but the winner was crowned based on younger age. The championships took place in Cape Town on Saturday. Picture: Supplied

Published May 8, 2024

Durban youngster Shreeya Mahadeo was crowned Champion of Champions during the Abacus Maths Soroban Association of South Africa (AMSASA) National Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Championship last Saturday.

Shreeya, 13, said she felt excited that her hard work had paid off. “I motivated myself to continue to do well in tournaments. I prepared by working consistently every day and attended a boot camp hosted by Smart Mental Arithmetic Club in March to prepare for the national competition.”

To be crowned Champion of Champions, Shreeya was assessed on making calculations using an abacus. She was assessed on:

4 digits multiplied by 3 digits
6 digits divided by 3 digits
decimals

And then mentally:

30 sums of division and multiplication
20 sums of addition and subtraction.

During the same championship, she was placed second in the National Dictation Challenge and only lost that due to a tie-break where they announced the winner based on age. For this challenge, sums of numbers from 1 to 18 digits (units up to quintillions) are called out and the individual would need to add up using an abacus.

Shreeya Mahadeo with her two awards. Picture: Supplied

In the same week, April 27 – May 1, Shreeya was placed fifth in the South African Junior Closed Chess Championships (SAJCCC) under-14 girls category, and qualified to represent South Africa at the 2024 African Youth Chess Championships next month. Shreeya concluded: “My parents support me in everything I do.”

Sebastian Mahadeo, her dad, praised Shreeya’s discipline for balancing these disciplines exceptionally. “Shreeya balances school work and extra-curricular activities as well as her commitments to SMART Mental Arithmetic and chess. Shreeya goes for SMART Mental Arithmetic online lessons every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm to 7pm. Weekends are set aside for chess tournaments. She believes the only way to achieve your goals is dedication and consistency.”

Mahadeo concluded: “We are currently looking for funding for the international competition. In the interim Shreeya attends online lessons every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm to 7pm and will continue to practise at least 10 minutes of practice every day.”

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