Ratusinh na Muvada
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Chess nursery
As of 2026
August 7, 2026: The Times of India
A tiny Gujarat village with just around 100 households is building a remarkable reputation as a nursery for young chess talent. Ratusinh Na Muvada in Mahisagar district could soon be home to what may become India’s biggest government chess school, giving talented rural children access to professional training and better opportunities.
The proposed campus is taking shape nearly a year after TOI highlighted how nearly 200 children, many of them from families of daily-wage workers and farm labourers, were learning chess under the guidance of maths teacher Sandip Upadhyay.
Gujarat village chess school project gathers pace
The Mahisagar district administration has accelerated the process of identifying suitable government land for the proposed chess school. The new campus is expected to be around 8.5 times larger than the existing school, which currently operates from a small cement-roofed building with five rooms, only two of which are usable.
The proposed new building will be developed under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and will include a dedicated hall specifically for chess coaching.
Why Ratusinh Na Muvada needs a bigger chess campus
The existing facility has struggled to accommodate the growing number of children interested in chess. What began as an initiative to introduce the game to local students has evolved into a much larger movement, attracting young players from the surrounding region.
Mahisagar collector Arpit Sagar said the administration had earlier identified land for the project, but the site would have required extensive landfilling because of ravines.
Speaking to TOI, Sagar said, “The land identified earlier required substantial landfilling because of ravines, which would involve considerable expenditure. We are now identifying another suitable parcel of govt land for the project. We have already discussed the proposal with officials of Samagra Shiksha.”
Maths teacher turns village school into chess powerhouse
The transformation of the school began in 2021, when maths teacher Sandip Upadhyay introduced chess to students.
Since then, the school has developed into a promising training ground for young chess players. Upadhyay has set an ambitious target of producing 50 grandmasters and 10 world champions.
His vision extends beyond simply creating chess champions.
Speaking to The Times of India, Upadhyay said, “My concept is that not only children from our own village but also those from across the country who are needy and do not get a proper platform can stay here and undergo coaching for chess. Along with chess, they should also prepare for competitive examinations like GPSC and UPSC as well.”
16 FIDE-rated players emerge from Gujarat village school
The initiative has already produced encouraging results. As many as 16 students have become FIDE-rated players, marking a significant achievement for a school in a small rural village.
Another 21 students have secured admission to the Gujarat government's District Level Sports School (DLSS), where they receive specialised sports coaching along with education and residential facilities.
The achievements have helped put Ratusinh Na Muvada on the map as an emerging rural chess hub in Gujarat.
Gujarat grandmaster offers free chess coaching
The school's growing reputation has also attracted attention from Ankit Rajpara, one of only two chess grandmasters from Gujarat.
Rajpara has been conducting a free coaching session every month for the students for the past seven months, providing them with access to advanced chess guidance that would otherwise be difficult for many rural families to afford.
Inputs from TOI
Chess
As of 2025
Prashant Rupera, Sep 4, 2025: The Times of India
Vadodara : A crumbling school building in a Gujarat village has become an unlikely castle of chess ambitions. Here, between walls with peeling paint or sitting on paver blocks outside, nearly 200 children from mostly underprivileged families learn to think 20 moves ahead on the board and aspire to become Grandmasters while their parents worry about what tomorrow might bring.
The architect of this winning mindset at Bal Vatika in the remote Ratusinh na Muvada village of Balasinor taluka, 100-odd km from Ahmedabad, is a 45-year-old maths and Gujarati teacher who believes opportunity should have no postal code. Sandip Upadhyay’s initiative has already produced six FIDE-rated players and a string of young rooks who have excelled at state-level tournaments.
Gujarat teacher translated book on Carlsen to help kids master game
Such is his conviction that Bal Vatika can become the cradle of chess excellence that Sandip spends a chunk of his salary almost every month on his wards – competition entry fees, transportation, books, and chess kits.
“I earn because of my students, and they have 100% right to my money,” Sandip told TOI . Since most of the students have only rudimentary knowledge of English, Sandip has translated Emmanuel Neiman's advanced chess book, The Magnus Method, into Gujarati to help them gain insights into the skills of five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen. Divya Chauhan, whose father is a farm labourer, has been undefeated across taluka-level chess competitions over the last two years. She finished third in a recent state women's rapid chess tournament organised in association with the Gujarat Chess Association. The Class 7 girl is among 15 students from Ratusinh na Muvada transferred to schools in Vadodara and Botad under the Gujarat govt's district-level sports school programme for chess, which offers free education, hostel accommodation and training. The state govt spends at least Rs 1 lakh annually on each trainee.
For those who are still part of Bal Vatika, Sandip and his colleagues have formed a trust, raising Rs 1 lakh so far. They continue to appeal for donations to keep the project going and fulfil the audacious vision of producing 50 GMs and 10 world champions.
“We ask everyone we meet to contribute just Rs 100 each. With that, we can send our children to bigger tournaments,” Sandip said. A cement company recently donated 30 chess clocks to the school. In barely four years since Sandip made his first move, his wards have competed in 24 state-level tournaments, finishing among the top three in 22 of them.
