Test your skills with positions from the Chola Chess camp: 4th Edition

by Rasika Ratnaparkhi - 23/07/2026

Chola Chess is building a dedicated space for India's strongest young chess players to train and improve. It is led by R. B. Ramesh and Aarthie Ramaswamy and supported by a committed team. The initiative has already registered over 270 players, providing them with consistent, high-quality training through its camps. In this fourth edition of the series, we bring you another set of instructive positions discussed during a Chola Chess camp. Take your time, calculate deeply, and see how many you can solve.

Building India's Future Champions

Chola Chess is one of India’s most ambitious and structured training initiatives. It was launched in July 2025 with a goal to identify and nurture India’s promising chess talents. On 1st April 2026, they conducted their 100th chess camp. Behind this initiative are four driven individuals: GM R.B. Ramesh, WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy (who leads Chess Gurukul), along with Kanika Subbiah and Vellayan Subbiah from Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited. To date, over 270 players have been registered under the Chola Chess initiative.

How these 4 individuals came together to launch the Chola Chess initiative. | Video: ChessBase India

The program provides high-quality training to selected players at no cost. This approach plays a significant role in widening the base of competitive chess in India. Some of India's most familiar names like Tania Sachdev, Soumya Swaminathan, Adhiban Baskaran and many more, have been part of Chola Chess camps. You can read more about it in this article.

The impact of the initiative is already visible in the achievements of its young participants. Divi Bijesh won the gold medal in the Under-12 Girls category at the FIDE World Cup 2026, Sarbartho Mani secured the silver medal in the Under-10 Boys category at the FIDE World Cup 2026, and Rayaan Mikael Rozario emerged as the winner of the 39th National U-9 Open Chess Championship. These results reflect how the camps are helping nurture the next generation of Indian chess talent.

Sundarrajan Kidambi, India’s 19th Grandmaster, is widely respected for his encyclopaedic knowledge of chess classics and deep understanding of the game. He is also closely associated with Chola Chess. In this picture, you can spot Sarbartho Mani, who won a silver medal at the FIDE World Cup 2026 in the U-10 boys category.| Photo: Chola Chess

FM Kunal M. is a two-time Tamil Nadu Senior State Champion. He conducted a training session for Chola Chess Camp participants. | Photo: Chola Chess

Divi Bijesh, winner of the FIDE World Cup 2026 in the Under-12 Girls category, also attended a recent Chola Chess camp. | Photo: Chola Chess

Winner of the 39th National U-9 Open Chess Championship, Rayaan Rozario.

So what do they actually study? Below are positions from the Chola Chess training camp. See if you can solve these positions. Solutions to these positions are provided at the end of the article. You can check out the first edition of this series here.