How A Dedicated Teacher Turned A Tiny Gujarat Village Into A Powerhouse Of Chess Prodigies

In a tiny Gujarat village of barely 100 households, daily conversations no longer revolve around crop yields alone—they center on Sicilian Defences, endgames, and FIDE rating points. Ratusinh na Muvada, a quiet hamlet near Vadodara, has pulled off an astounding feat by bagging 120 trophies and 179 medals in competitive chess.

At the centre of this quiet revolution is Sandip Upadhyay, a 45-year-old government school teacher whose self-funded mission has turned nearly 200 rural children into budding chess tacticians.

Self-Taught Mastermind Fueling Grandmaster Dreams

Four years ago, hardly anyone in the village had heard of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) or grandmasters. Upadhyay, who teaches mathematics and Gujarati, introduced the sport at the local school in 2021 with a bold target: producing 50 grandmasters and 10 world champions from rural Gujarat.

Having taught himself the game’s finer points during the COVID-19 pandemic by studying opening theories and solving tactics late into the night, Upadhyay began training his students every morning. To bridge the language gap, he personally translated The Magnus Method into Gujarati so students could grasp advanced concepts popularised by world champion Magnus Carlsen without struggling with English.

Upadhyay funded chess boards, digital clocks, study material, and tournament registration fees out of his own salary. "I earn because of my students, and they have every right over my money," Upadhyay said. During vacations, students gather at the school’s 10-computer lab to play online matches against international opponents and analyse complex puzzles.

Nationwide Backing And Global Recognition

The grassroots movement has gathered momentum, attracting support from donors and international organisations. Individual sponsors like Bengaluru-based Rajiv Talwar and Chennai-based Kailash Ranganathan contributed nearly ₹8 lakh, providing digital tablets to help the children study chess engines and travel for tournaments.

The financial backing enabled young players like Neha Chauhan and Divya Chauhan to represent Gujarat at the National School Chess Championship in Raipur—marking their first long-distance train journey outside the state. Divya, a Class VIII student, earned a spot in a specialised residential chess academy near Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, US-based non-profit Gift of Chess donated 500 chess sets to the school. Rather than hoarding the equipment, Upadhyay distributed many of the sets to neighbouring government schools to build a regional chess ecosystem.