Chess becomes a highlight at Chembur Children’s Home Annual Sports Event
On the 16th of January, a chess tournament was held at the Chembur Children’s Home as a part of their annual sports event. Though it was a competition, it felt more like a celebration. Some played their first-ever tournament while some learned to balance multiple sports. But the best part about this event was to see the excitement among children! This event was organized under Teach Chess India Mission to give children a chance to experience a professional chess tournament. Read the article to know more.
The power of chess
A game of chess starts with just one move. And that move can lead to something much bigger. This belief is at the heart of the Teach Chess India Mission. It’s a movement driven by people who love chess, who want to share the joy it brings, and above all, who truly believe in the power of humanity. The simple idea of introducing chess to children who might never have had that chance has now grown into something truly special!
A chess tournament was organized on the 16th of January by the Women and Child Development Department at the Chembur Children’s Home. Chess has always been an integral part of their Annual Sports Event 'Chacha Nehru Bal Mahotsav', but this time, they wanted to create a professional tournament setup. The event was held under two categories: U-12 and U-18. The goal behind this was to help children understand what it feels like to compete in a professional chess tournament.
The moment the Teach Chess India team arrived, they were greeted with so much warmth. There was a beautiful rangoli at the entrance along with the banners of all the participating children’s homes.
The participant list for the U-12 and U-18 categories was all set, but something incredible happened before the tournament even began! Once the setup was complete, more kids started coming forward and asked if they could also play. Some had never seen a chess clock before, and some were not sure of all the rules, but that didn’t matter. They just wanted to be a part of it! How could anyone say no? The team let them join in, after all, the whole point is to make chess accessible to everyone.
Pulling off an event like this requires a dedicated team and Teach Chess India has some of the best people on board! Nithin Chandan managed the U-12 section while Vidhi Karelia handled the U-18 section. Mayur More made sure everything ran smoothly as the arbiter.
One of the highlights of the team was Raj. Though he no longer lived at the Chembur Children’s Home, he came back to help organize the tournament! He set up the venue, guided younger kids about the rules, and encouraged all the participants. There was one moment when the team urgently needed a printer, and Raj came to the rescue! He was one of the regular students of the chess class and now he was giving back to the community. Such a full-circle moment!
One story that stood out that day was of Shubham Raj from Support NGO. He was competing in three different sports during the event! He was leading the U-18 section with a perfect score. Just before the 4th round, his kabaddi teammates rushed in, calling him for their final match. This dedicated child didn’t want to miss out on anything. He confidently told the organizers that he would be back in 10 minutes. Seeing his excitement, the team decided to wait with his opponent’s permission. It was unlikely that his kabaddi match would finish in just 10 minutes. As expected, time ran out and the officials started the clock to be fair to his opponent. Thankfully, Shubham came back a minute later to the match, and guess what? He won his game! It was such a “Magnus Carlsen” moment! Even though he was completely losing at one point, he didn’t give up. In the end, the result was worth it!
The tournament concluded with some outstanding performances:
U-12 Winners
Boys: 1st - Shubhash Pawar, 2nd - Ashok Manuketil, 3rd - Sunil Vishwakarma
Girls: 1st - Khushboo, 2nd - Sanjana Singh, 3rd - Haseena Dildarkumar Diliug
U-18 Winners
Boys: 1st - Shubham Raju, 2nd - Ritin Mahapatra, 3rd - Anjee Shyam Sagluri
Girls: 1st - Arshiya, 2nd - Sakina Salim Shaikh, 3rd - Shehnaz Shaikh
The idea of Teach Chess India Mission is to teach chess across the country in places where it is difficult for people to afford chess learning. This could involve children's homes, orphanages, old age homes, hospitals, prisons, public schools, slums, and more.