In Ratusinh na Muvada, a small village in Balasinor taluka of Mahisagar district, Gujarat, where international chess rankings and grandmasters were once unfamiliar concepts, a remarkable transformation has taken place. What started as one schoolteacher’s dream has grown into a movement that is changing the lives of hundreds of rural children through the game of chess.
Today, nearly 200 children from the village are learning advanced chess strategies, competing in national tournaments and dreaming of representing India at the highest level. Their journey has already produced 120 trophies and 179 medals, proving that talent can flourish anywhere when given the right guidance and opportunity.
One Teacher’s Big Dream
At the centre of this inspiring story is 45-year-old schoolteacher Sandip Upadhyay, who teaches Mathematics and Gujarati.
In 2021, he introduced chess in the village school with what many believed was an impossible goal—to produce 50 grandmasters and 10 world champions from rural Gujarat.
At the time, even fellow teachers found the dream unrealistic. Most families were focused on earning a daily livelihood, and convincing parents that chess could help build a brighter future for their children was a difficult task. However, Upadhyay refused to give up.
Learning Chess During the Pandemic
His own journey into chess began during the COVID-19 pandemic. He spent countless nights solving chess puzzles, studying opening theories and watching online tutorials. Every morning, he would pass on everything he had learned to his students.
Instead of waiting for expensive coaching or better facilities, he created opportunities using whatever resources were available. His dedication gradually inspired children, parents and the entire village.
Investing His Own Salary for Students
One of the most remarkable aspects of Upadhyay’s work is his personal sacrifice. He purchased chess boards, chess clocks, books and tournament equipment using his own salary.
Whenever talented students could not afford tournament registration fees or travel expenses, he paid those costs himself.
Explaining his motivation, Upadhyay says that everything he earns is because of his students, and therefore they have every right over his money. His commitment ensured that financial hardship never became a barrier for talented children.
Making Chess Easy to Understand
Understanding that language could become a challenge, Upadhyay translated “The Magnus Method” into Gujarati. The book contains concepts inspired by world chess champion Magnus Carlsen.
By translating the material, he made advanced chess lessons easier for village children who were more comfortable learning in Gujarati than in English. This allowed students to understand complex strategies without facing a language barrier.
Learning Continues Even During Holidays
For the students, chess is not limited to school hours. Even during summer vacations, children continue practising every day, using 10 computers available on the school campus, they:
Play online games against opponents from around the world.
Solve tactical chess puzzles.
Study advanced opening strategies.
Analyse their previous games to improve their skills.
For a village where reliable internet connectivity was once a challenge, this digital learning environment represents a major transformation.
Success Attracts New Support
As the students began winning tournaments, support started arriving from across India. Following increased public attention in September 2025, two major donors stepped forward.
Rajiv Talwar from Bengaluru.
Kailash Ranganathan from Chennai.
Together, they contributed nearly ₹8 lakh to support the children’s chess journey. Apart from financial assistance, they also donated tablets, enabling students to continue online chess training and access learning resources more easily.
The support helped the children participate in several additional tournaments across the country, leading to more medals and valuable FIDE rating opportunities.
Helping Young Players Reach National Competitions
The donations also covered travel and tournament expenses for talented players like Neha Chauhan and Divya Chauhan. The two girls represented Gujarat at the National School Chess Championship in Raipur.
For both students, it was not only their first tournament outside Gujarat but also their first long-distance train journey. The opportunity exposed them to high-level competition and boosted their confidence.
Another Big Milestone for Divya
The programme continues to produce success stories. In May, Divya Chauhan, now studying in Class VIII, was selected for a specialised residential chess training programme near Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra.
Her selection reflects the growing quality of training being provided in the village and the increasing recognition received by its young players.
International Organisations Join the Mission
The initiative has also attracted international attention. A United States-based non-profit organisation, Gift of Chess, donated 500 chess sets to support the programme.
Rather than keeping all the chess boards for his own students, Upadhyay distributed many of them among neighbouring government schools.
His aim is to encourage more rural children to learn chess and gradually build a larger chess ecosystem beyond his own village.
Changing an Entire Community
Just four years ago, very few people in the village had heard of FIDE ratings, chess openings or international tournaments.
Today, conversations among children revolve around opening strategies, endgames, rating points and tournament preparation.
What began as one teacher’s vision has become a community movement that is inspiring nearly 200 young players to dream bigger than ever before.
With 120 trophies, 179 medals, national-level participation, growing sponsorship and international support, the initiative proves that dedication, passion and selfless effort can transform not only individual lives but an entire village.
Sandip Upadhyay’s journey is a powerful reminder that one committed teacher can create opportunities that change the future of hundreds of children.
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