Now enrolling schools for the 2026–27 academic year
Every child in India deserves to learn to think.
We bring trained coaches, a proper curriculum and free equipment into Indian schools — then give every pupil an online academy to keep learning in. Chess is the vehicle. Thinking is the point.
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640+
Schools in the programme
1.2 lakh
Children taught since 2019
18
States and union territories
91%
Teachers report better concentration
What we do
A weekly chess lesson, delivered properly, for thirty weeks.
We are not a chess club that visits occasionally. We place a trained, verified coach in your classroom every week for a full academic year, working through a curriculum that starts from the rules and ends with real understanding.
Since 2019 we have worked with more than 640 schools across 18 states and union territories. Two-thirds of that work is in government and low-fee private schools, funded by our donors and state partnerships rather than by the schools themselves.
Every enrolled pupil also gets an account on this site — the same curriculum as structured online courses, with quizzes and progress their teachers can see. That is how a child keeps improving in the six days a week we are not there.
Why chess
What sixty-four squares do for a child
Chess is cheap, portable, endlessly deep and gloriously indifferent to a child's background. That combination is rare.
Mathematical thinking
Chess is applied pattern recognition. Children who play regularly show measurable gains in spatial reasoning, sequencing and mental arithmetic — the foundations of school mathematics.
Concentration
A single game asks a child to hold a plan in mind for thirty minutes. Teachers consistently tell us that the quietest, most focused period of their week is chess club.
Resilience
Every player loses. Chess gives children a safe, repeatable way to lose, work out why, and try again — and that habit transfers directly to the classroom.
Social skills
Shaking hands before and after a game, playing by agreed rules, winning without gloating. Chess teaches the small courtesies that make a school community work.
A level field
Chess does not care about a family's income, a child's first language, or how well they read. It is one of the few arenas where every pupil starts genuinely equal.
A lifelong game
A child who learns properly at nine can play for the next eighty years — in a park in Chennai, on a phone in Delhi, or across a board with their own grandchildren.
Explore the programme
Who we are
A not-for-profit putting chess into Indian classrooms since 2019.
Explore →For schools
Coaches, curriculum, equipment and training — what your school receives.
Explore →Why chess works
The evidence behind concentration, numeracy and resilience gains.
Explore →Community programmes
Government schools, rural centres, Girls in Chess and NGO partnerships.
Explore →Teacher training
Free forty-hour training so your club outlasts our coach.
Explore →Resources
Free curriculum outlines, printable boards and guides for parents.
Explore →Latest
News from the programme
Recruiting coaches across eighteen states
We are hiring and training chess coaches for the 2026–27 academic year, with no requirement for prior competitive experience.
ProgrammeTelangana signs up 120 government schools
A new agreement with the Department of School Education brings structured chess teaching to 120 government schools across nine districts.
ResearchTwo-year study finds numeracy gains in Class 5
An independent evaluation across 40 schools found Class 5 pupils in the programme outperformed peers on standardised numeracy assessments.
Bring chess to your school
Tell us about your school and our programme team will be in touch within two working days. Approval unlocks your dashboard and the join code your pupils need.