How a Mumbaikar Built a Chess Academy the World Now Trains At

While many parents still think of chess as an extracurricular activity thousands of children across the world are quietly logging into classes taught from Mumbai learning strategy decisionmaking and discipline through a structured system built by a Mumbaikar who believed the game could be taught differentlyAt the centre of that story is Abhijit Hatkar Founder amp CEO of Upstep Academy a Mumbaiheadquartered online chess academy that has trained over 30000 students across 20 countries in just a few years What began as an effort to solve a problem in chess education has grown into one of the worldrsquos fastestgrowing online chess learning ecosystems for childrenFor Abhijit chess was never unfamiliar territory A 2000 FIDErated player FIDE Instructor and FIDE Arbiter he spent years understanding the game both as a competitive player and as a coach Over time however he began noticing a recurring challenge among young learners Many students showed promise early on but struggled to maintain direction and consistency in their learning journeyldquoThe issue wasnrsquot talentrdquo Abhijit says ldquoWe saw many young players losing direction despite having potential There was a need for a more consistent and engaging learning experience that could help children progress with clarity and confidencerdquoWith an academic background in Information Technology Abhijit approached the problem with a systems mindset Instead of treating chess coaching as isolated classes he envisioned an academy where learning could be more organised measurable and engaging for students That idea eventually became Upstep Academy launched with a curriculumfirst approach focused on longterm development rather than shortterm resultsToday students from countries including Indiathe United States Australia Singapore UK Europe and the Middle East attend classes through systems and academic planning managed from Mumbai In many ways the story of Upstep is also a story of Mumbai itself ambitious fastmoving and quietly globalAt Upstep students advance through carefully designed learning stages that focus on concept clarity practical application and continuous assessment Classes are conducted in small interactive groups while a gamified learning portal helps students and parents track progress in a more engaging wayThe academy now works with over 300 coaches and has built a student community spanning multiple countries But its strongest validation according to many parents has come through student performanceRather than isolated success stories the academy points to a growing list of achievements across geographiesIn India 7yearold Shreyanshi Jain who recently won a Gold Medal in Blitz Solving and a Bronze Medal in Rapid U8 at the FIDE World Cadets Championship 2026 in Serbia She is also an Asian Schools triple medallist and secured four national titles in 2025 several with flawless performancesAnother young Indian player Tanishka Bhandari emerged as the Under7 Girls National Champion 2025ndash26Internationally 13yearold Clio Alessi from Italy became the Girls U13 Champion at the 2026 European School Chess Championship A year earlier she had also won Italyrsquos Under12 Girls Championship with a perfect 99 scoreThen there is Reyaansh Chakrabarty the IndianAustralian chess prodigy who became the youngestever Australian Junior Chess Champion and crossed a 2300 FIDE rating at just 12 years oldFor Abhijit however success is measured not only through medals and rankings but also through the confidence discipline and decisionmaking skills students develop through the gameBeyond regular training serious competitive players at the academy also receive exposure to elitelevel chess through Upsteprsquos Grandmaster Accelerator Program GAP where students gain insights associated with fivetime World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand Students have also had opportunities to participate in special interactions and simultaneous exhibitions involving Anand experiences rarely available in traditional coaching environmentsWhat makes the story particularly unique is that despite its international reach the academy continues to operate from Mumbai with its curriculum planning and academic systems managed from the cityFor a city known for building businesses that quietly scale beyond borders Upstep represents a modern Mumbai success story local roots with global reachWhat started as one playerrsquos effort to improve chess education has evolved into a platform now teaching children across continents And while students may log in from different parts of the world the vision behind those lessons still begins in Mumbai

How a Mumbaikar Built a Chess Academy the World Now Trains At

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How a Mumbaikar Built a Chess Academy the World Now Trains At

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Mid-Day Fast