From 2 Boards to the World Stage: How Two Cousins Built a Rural Chess Movement
In the quiet carpet-belt region of Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, where chess once barely existed, two cousins, Ankit and Prabhat, sat down with a few children and two simple plastic boards, and an unlikely chess movement began. Not with funding, not with infrastructure, not with a professional chess background, just pure intent. There was no master plan, no vision of success, only a quiet decision to do something meaningful with whatever they had. A few years later, girls from those same villages would sit across international players at the FIDE World School Team Championship in Almaty. Read this amazing story!!
The Opening
After COVID, life brought Ankit and Prabhat back to their village. With no clear roadmap ahead, they started a small space called the Learning Hub. Not to build a business, but to share whatever they knew. They started with teaching students for free, introducing chess as a way to think better, and learning and teaching at the same time. They were not trained players or experts. They were simply two people who decided not to wait for perfect conditions.
The First Move
Their 1st tournament had only 6 players, played on 2 plastic chessboards, with no clocks, no format, and no software to pair up the players. Results were written on a whiteboard, and the Prizes came from their own pockets. Obviously, no one noticed, but that day, something incredible started.
Nothing was working as planned, but they kept on conducting small tournaments every year. Visited the nearby schools and convinced children to sit and play chess. The journey was already looking tough.
Most days, there was no response. Sometimes, only a few children came. Sometimes nobody came at all. Still, they returned the next day. Because slowly, they began seeing change. Children started thinking differently. They sat longer. Focused deeper. And most importantly, they started loving chess. That alone was reason enough for the brothers to continue!
Synergy of Pieces
As the work slowly grew, they met Aman, a Senior National Arbiter from the same district who believed in the same vision. They started working together as they shared the same belief: that chess could become a powerful tool for change in rural areas. Together, they strengthened what had already begun through consistency and effort.
Knight on Outpost
On 27 October 2024, under The Learning Hub, they organised their first proper district-level rapid chess tournament. What once started with 6 children in a room had now become a structured tournament with nearly 100 players. This wasn’t just an event; it was validation. From a small room to a recognised tournament for the first time, the journey began to feel real.
The Time Scramble
In 2025, they formally established Shreejan Learning Hub Foundation. Then came the phase that truly defined them. There was no funding, no institutional backing, not even a proper team. Just work and vision. Prabhat travelled alone to more than 80 schools in extreme summer heat, carrying chess boards from one place to another, introducing chess to thousands of students, not for money. Not for recognition. But because he believed it mattered. No one told him to do it, no one paid him. Still, he kept going. Because somewhere along the way, this had stopped being an activity. It had become a responsibility.
Recognisation
Then slowly, things began to change. Support arrived from The Gift of Chess, and more than 300 children received chessboards. What others often do with funding and teams, they were trying to do with determination alone. And quietly, a movement started taking shape.
The Novelty!
Then they noticed something deeper. In villages, girls rarely receive opportunities. Sports are often never even considered for them. But chess felt different; it did not need a field, it did not need expensive infrastructure, it did not even require permission to step outside. It only needed a board and belief.
Promotion of Queen
The limited participation of girls in rural areas was the issue, and to address this, they launched a focused initiative: “Checkmate Her Limits – Empowering Rural Girls Through Chess” on 1st January 2026.
With initial support from Universal Sompo & Ek Prayas ( Ranu Jain Gupta), the program began as a pilot, but its impact was immediate. Girls began not only learning chess but also developing confidence, critical thinking, and independence. The board became a space for empowerment. Inspired by global educational models, the team integrated chess with mathematics, making learning more engaging and practical.
250+ girls from 5 villages and the support of Local mentors. Girls who had only recently touched chess pieces: Played district tournaments, entered FIDE-rated events and started believing in themselves. This was no longer only about chess. It was about confidence, Identity, and possibility. They didn’t just teach chess, but they also changed mindsets.
This mission is not only about producing strong chess players. It is about building stronger human beings. We believe chess can become one of the most powerful educational and social development tools in India, especially in rural communities where structured opportunities are still limited. - Prabhat Yadav
From Village Floors to the World Stage
Then came a moment they had never imagined. A team of rural girls, trained under their initiative, travelled to compete at the FIDE World School Team Championship. Nadzeya Krauchuk from the International School Chess Federation noticed their good work through Instagram and graciously offered us a wildcard entry for this tournament in Kazakhstan.
Led by Ankit as Team Captain, the team Duolingo Dreamers represented something much bigger than results. From sitting on village floors with shared chessboards to sitting across international players, that distance was enormous. But they crossed it.
What This Journey Really Means
Built without infrastructure
Sustained without funding
Carried forward only through consistency
From 2 Plastic Chess Boards to Thousands of Children, and 6 of them played on the International stage
This is not just success; this is persistence. Some journeys begin with resources. This one began with responsibility. And today, because of Ankit and Prabhat, chess in their region is no longer just a game. It is slowly becoming a path to opportunity, confidence, and hope.
What Now?
Aman is now a FIDE Arbiter. Ankit and Prabhat are Senior National Arbiters. But beyond titles, very little has changed. They are still visiting schools. Still teaching children. Still carrying chessboards. Still beginning every single day again. And now, they stand at a point where this work can grow far beyond one district. Especially in states like Uttar Pradesh, where talent exists everywhere but opportunities often do not.
They now seek collaboration with:
All India Chess Federation (AICF)
CSR partners.
To expand chess in rural schools, empower more girls through structured programs, and build pathways from grassroots to global stages. Because somewhere in a village classroom today, another child may already be waiting for their first chessboard. And sometimes, that is all it takes for a life to change.
If you want to support their amazing initiative, you can help through
Bank account details
Account Name - Shreejan Learning Hub Foundation
Account number - 783520110000581
IFSC - bkid0000001
Gmail: Shreeejanlearninghubfoundation@gmail.com
ChessBase India's Support
ChessBase India is organising a two-day Big Summer Camp on 27th and 28th May in association with Shreejan Learning Hub. It is a free camp, and players will get many benefits from it.
Check out Shreejan Learning Hub Foundation's Social Media Handles for their Amazing Work!!