ChessEra- India’s first Online Chess School

Chess is a classic game of strategy, invented over 1500 years ago in India. A lot of research on chess has proven that it can enhance creativity, concentration, critical thinking skills, memory, academic achievement, problem-solving, cultural enrichment, intellectual maturity, self-esteem, standardized test scores among others. The beauty of chess as a teaching tool is that it stimulates children's minds and helps them to build these skills while enjoying themselves. As a result, children become more critical thinkers, better problem solvers, and more independent decision-makers.

A primary component of the 21st-century learning model for education is Learning and Innovation Skills (STEM), broken down into the 4C’s - critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity & innovation. Chess has been proven to increase Critical Thinking and Creativity. Apart from honing these skills it also touches upon the other life & career skills of 21st-century learning frameworks like computing, teamwork, flexibility, and adaptability. 

With my exposure to education and EdTech and 21st-century learning pedagogy, I partnered with Santosh L, a well-accomplished chess player and an entrepreneur to set up an online chess school called ChessEra. ChessEra is a Bengaluru based EdTech company dedicated to teaching chess to the community, ensuring every child has the necessary opportunities and tools to learn the game through a 21st-century approach and promoting, sharing, and encouraging the educational and social benefits of playing chess. In partnership with some of the popular and large schools in Bangalore, ChessEra seeks to make a portable classroom for educational institutions all over the country. 

ChessEra took almost a year to be conceptualized. It’s beyond an online game website or an app. By using the power of technology ChessEra has created an Online Chess school on the cloud with all collaborative tools built-in, assessment, certifications, chess club management, 1/1 and group coaching, gaming, and tournament hosting. Chess school also has the ability to support multiple school program collaboration.

Chess is a systematic multiyear learning game that requires an intelligent platform to store and track the progress. ChessEra provides detailed game analysis and statistical data for each player with video recording capabilities of every match. It highlights the areas of improvement and provides tips and ways to improve.

ChessEra provides a complete curriculum designed to integrate learning into the game. Gamification as the heart of its learning system. Following a thorough Chess curriculum, kids and adults learn how to play chess by playing fun mini-games.  By integrating, this advanced and exciting version of chess into the program, we ensure that our program fills the “4C’s Gap” by helping students to develop high levels of communication and collaboration along with the skills of creativity and critical thinking. Multiple starts and end games, formulation of offense, and defense strategies are key for mastering the game of chess and ChessEra integrates this as a part of the learning curriculum. Here is a quick summary of the benefits for the key stakeholders. 

ChessEra, a holistic approach towards Chess learning is affiliated with world-class Chess Coaching Institutions like Nalanda Chess Academy, Mysore Chess Center, Innovators Chess Academy among many others and also Grandmaster Swyams Mishra and Grandmaster Stany G A.

Chess plays a significant role in helping children conquer the 4Cs of the 21st Century Learning Model. Online School- ChessEra aligns with these aspects, making learning more effective through its rich features around collaboration, Assessment, Certifications, Chess club management, 1/1 and Group Coaching, Gaming, School Management, Individual Reporting & Tracking and Tournament hosting facility. 

To know how to collaborate and engage with ChessEra please write to me at [email protected]