Goa plots its moves, focuses on primary schools for chess champs

A young student from Class III looked tentatively at the paper board in front of her, took a moment’s pause, and then reached out to make the first move. Her opponent, crowded by other school students watching intently, responded immediately by pushing her piece and taking an advantageous position in an absorbing game

of chess.


The students were seated across each other, on the floor of the corridor, during school hours at the Vivekanand Vidya Mandir Primary School, Keri, in Goa’s remote Sattari taluka. They were neither punished nor skipping regular class. In fact, these are the ‘brighter’ ones who’ve made progress, and this game was part of their class. The others were all engrossed inside the classroom that had about 70 of them, seated close to each other on the bench, listening attentively to their chess teacher, Nilesh Dhargalkar.

From Pernem in the north to Canacona in the south, a growing number of schools in Goa have introduced chess, not just to turn primary school students into future grandmasters, but to also use the sport as a strong antidote to educational pressure. At last count, at least two schools each in eight of the 12 talukas have introduced the Goa Chess Association’s ambitious ‘Chess in Schools’ programme for primary school students from Classes III and IV.

Breaking the Stalemate

“The ‘Chess in Schools’ programme is from a similar initiative started by FIDE, the governing body for chess in the world,” said Ashesh Keni, secretary of the Goa Chess Association. “Some of these children will grow up to become grandmasters (highest rating for a player), chess stars, champions. But there is more to gain. It has been established that once chess is taught to students, their IQ levels, reasoning, logic, abilities, everything improve.”

When Goa hosted the FIDE Chess World Cup last month, 206 of the world’s best players jostled for top honours at Arpora in North Goa. Among the participants was Goa’s own Leon Mendonca, a grandmaster, and the top-ranked player from the state. Mendonca is just 19, while the second best-ranked player in the state is IM Ethan Vaz, who recently won the National Junior Under-19 Chess Championship in the Open category while being just 14 years of age.

A Fabled Past

Goans have known chess for ages. There are records to suggest that chess tournaments were held here even prior to Liberation from Portuguese rule, though a formal All Goa Daman and Diu Chess Association came into existence only in 1973. The sport took off at the turn of the century, when players like Ivana Furtado, under-8 and under-10 World Youth Chess Championship twice in a row (2006, 2007), and Bhakti Kulkarni, state champion in the open category at just 11 years of age, set the bar high as kids.

“Chess became very popular during the (Covid-19) pandemic as everyone was stuck at home. There must be 25,000 to 30,000 playing the sport in Goa, but the registered player count could be approximately 2,000. We have young players who are doing well internationally,” said Keni.

Catching Them Young

The ‘Chess in Schools’ initiative aims to capitalise on this craze for the sport. Rather than ask the physical education teachers to conduct these classes, the association deputes qualified coaches, at its own cost, so that students get

the correct lessons at a young age.

Nowhere does this reflect better than in Keri, Sattari, where coach Dhargalkar arrives for classes with a projector, conducts online classes even late in the night, and turns students’ potential into results.

The taluka now has 12 rated players, two of them U-7 and U-12 champions.

“Chess is more than just a sport,” said headmaster Gopinath Gawas. “Since introducing chess in our school, we’ve seen positivity from the students. It teaches future planning, management, patience and concentration. One child with special needs showed remarkable progress after being introduced to chess in school.”

In Sattari where football, cricket and kabaddi have traditionally been the most popular sports, chess has made strong inroads.

Long-Term Gains

Closer to Goa’s capital city of Panaji, chess is thriving too.

At Mushtifund High School in Cujira, Santa Cruz, Snehal Naik, an international FIDE-rated player with three years of coaching experience, conducts a coaching class once a week for students with more than just passing interest in the sport.

“Earlier, it was mandatory for the entire class, but since not everyone was interested, we selected 32 students and now train them separately (in the school library),” said Naik.

As of now, there are no definite studies showing that teaching chess has immediate benefits for children, but those who’ve been working with students across the state say there is enough evidence.

“What I like about this programme is that children are showing positivity and thinking ahead,” said Dhargalkar. “Generally, it’s mobiles and television that keep the children hooked. But now, it’s chess. If you ask any of these kids what do they want as a gift, they’ll say, “A chess board.”

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