From Bhutan to the Caribbean, Indian chess coaches are helping players compete, learn and build the game far beyond India’s borders.
At the Chess Olympiad, attention usually stays on the leading teams, famous players and medal race. But away from the top boards, another story is taking shape.
Indian chess coaches are working with teams from countries where organised chess is still developing. From Bhutan in the Himalayas to St Kitts and Nevis and the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, these coaches are helping players prepare for the biggest team event in the sport.
Their work is less about medals and more about building skills, confidence and a stronger chess culture.
One such story is that of International Master Atanu Lahiri and Bhutan.
More than two decades ago, Lahiri travelled to Bhutan almost by chance. Organised chess was still at an early stage in the country. There was no established national federation and limited access to equipment and formal training.
Lahiri arrived with chess boards and clocks and began working with local players. Around the same time, journalists at Bhutan's national newspaper were looking for someone who could help introduce structured chess to the country. The meeting came at an unexpected moment.
Lahiri kept returning.
He later played an important role in Bhutan's participation at the Chess Olympiad, including its debut in 2014. At the 2026 Olympiad in Samarkand, he is serving as captain of Bhutan's Open team.
The challenges remain considerable. Promising young players can leave the country for education or employment, while funding international participation is not always easy to secure. Building a strong pool of players therefore takes time.
Lahiri's approach has been to keep working with what is available.
After a difficult game, he encourages players to examine their mistakes rather than simply forget the result. The focus is on understanding what went wrong and carrying that lesson into the next game.
For a team competing against some of the world's strongest chess nations, that kind of guidance can matter as much as technical preparation.
A similar story is unfolding in the Caribbean.
Praful Zaveri, an Indian FIDE arbiter, trainer and author, became involved with the St Kitts and Nevis team through an unusual connection. During the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the team's then coach came across one of Zaveri's chess books.
That introduction eventually led to another opportunity. When FIDE looked for coaches for the team, Zaveri took up the assignment.
His preparation began well before the Olympiad. Because of the time difference, he often started online training sessions at around 4:30 in the morning. Over several weeks, he conducted a series of training sessions before joining the team.
The players faced a different set of challenges from those faced by established chess nations. Some had limited opportunities to play rated classical games in their own country and had to travel to other islands to compete.
Their understanding of the middlegame could be strong, but opening preparation required more work.
Early losses tested the team. Then came a result that offered a reminder of what such tournaments can provide. An unrated player defeated a higher-rated opponent.
For Zaveri, the lesson was simple. Once a player sits at the board, the rating of the opponent does not play the game. The moves do.
The Cayman Islands also have an Indian coaching connection.
International Master Prathamesh Mokal began working with players there after a recommendation from Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi. His initial work involved two young players of Indian origin before expanding to the wider women's team.
For several players, formal coaching was a new experience.
Mokal's role has been to bring structure to their preparation, strengthen their technical understanding and help them approach international competition with greater confidence.
These individual stories point to a wider development in international chess.
India's rise as a chess power has created a large pool of players, trainers and coaches with experience at different levels of the game. That expertise is increasingly reaching federations outside India, particularly countries that are still building their chess systems.
For smaller federations, access to experienced coaching can make a practical difference. Players can learn opening preparation, game analysis, tournament routines and ways to handle pressure that are difficult to develop without regular guidance.
The relationship also works at a human level. Players from smaller chess nations often see India's leading players as examples of what is possible. Meeting established Indian players can give young competitors another connection to the wider chess world.
But the impact of coaching cannot always be measured through medals or final standings.
It can be seen when a player understands an opening idea that had previously confused them. It can be seen when a team loses a difficult game but returns to the board the next day with a better plan. It can also be seen when a player from a country with little chess infrastructure gets the opportunity to compete internationally for the first time.
That is where the work of coaches such as Lahiri, Zaveri and Mokal becomes important.
India's chess story is often told through its grandmasters, young champions and international results. Those achievements have helped establish the country as one of the major centres of world chess.
But the influence of Indian chess is not limited to India's own teams.
Coaches are carrying knowledge beyond the country's borders and working with players who may not have access to the same facilities, training systems or competitive opportunities available in established chess nations.
The Chess Olympiad brings together countries with very different levels of experience and resources. That difference is visible on the scoreboard, but it does not define the value of participation.
For some teams, the tournament is also a classroom.
A difficult game becomes a lesson. A stronger opponent becomes a reference point. A new opening becomes something to study. And a first international victory can change how a player sees their own possibilities.
The major results from the Olympiad will naturally attract attention. But the growth of chess is also measured in smaller developments that may not make the headlines.
A Bhutanese player analysing a difficult loss, a Caribbean player earning valuable international experience or a Cayman Islands team discovering the benefits of systematic coaching are all part of that growth.
Indian chess has built a strong reputation at the highest level. Through its coaches, that experience is now reaching players and teams far beyond India.
The most lasting contribution may not always be another medal. Sometimes it is simply helping another player understand the game a little better and giving them the confidence to return to the board and play again.
At the Chess Olympiad, attention usually stays on the leading teams, famous players and medal race. But away from the top boards, another story is taking shape.
Indian chess coaches are working with teams from countries where organised chess is still developing. From Bhutan in the Himalayas to St Kitts and Nevis and the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, these coaches are helping players prepare for the biggest team event in the sport.
Their work is less about medals and more about building skills, confidence and a stronger chess culture.
One such story is that of International Master Atanu Lahiri and Bhutan.
More than two decades ago, Lahiri travelled to Bhutan almost by chance. Organised chess was still at an early stage in the country. There was no established national federation and limited access to equipment and formal training.
Lahiri arrived with chess boards and clocks and began working with local players. Around the same time, journalists at Bhutan's national newspaper were looking for someone who could help introduce structured chess to the country. The meeting came at an unexpected moment.
Lahiri kept returning.
He later played an important role in Bhutan's participation at the Chess Olympiad, including its debut in 2014. At the 2026 Olympiad in Samarkand, he is serving as captain of Bhutan's Open team.
The challenges remain considerable. Promising young players can leave the country for education or employment, while funding international participation is not always easy to secure. Building a strong pool of players therefore takes time.
Lahiri's approach has been to keep working with what is available.
After a difficult game, he encourages players to examine their mistakes rather than simply forget the result. The focus is on understanding what went wrong and carrying that lesson into the next game.
For a team competing against some of the world's strongest chess nations, that kind of guidance can matter as much as technical preparation.
A similar story is unfolding in the Caribbean.
Praful Zaveri, an Indian FIDE arbiter, trainer and author, became involved with the St Kitts and Nevis team through an unusual connection. During the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the team's then coach came across one of Zaveri's chess books.
That introduction eventually led to another opportunity. When FIDE looked for coaches for the team, Zaveri took up the assignment.
His preparation began well before the Olympiad. Because of the time difference, he often started online training sessions at around 4:30 in the morning. Over several weeks, he conducted a series of training sessions before joining the team.
The players faced a different set of challenges from those faced by established chess nations. Some had limited opportunities to play rated classical games in their own country and had to travel to other islands to compete.
Their understanding of the middlegame could be strong, but opening preparation required more work.
Early losses tested the team. Then came a result that offered a reminder of what such tournaments can provide. An unrated player defeated a higher-rated opponent.
For Zaveri, the lesson was simple. Once a player sits at the board, the rating of the opponent does not play the game. The moves do.
The Cayman Islands also have an Indian coaching connection.
International Master Prathamesh Mokal began working with players there after a recommendation from Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi. His initial work involved two young players of Indian origin before expanding to the wider women's team.
For several players, formal coaching was a new experience.
Mokal's role has been to bring structure to their preparation, strengthen their technical understanding and help them approach international competition with greater confidence.
These individual stories point to a wider development in international chess.
India's rise as a chess power has created a large pool of players, trainers and coaches with experience at different levels of the game. That expertise is increasingly reaching federations outside India, particularly countries that are still building their chess systems.
For smaller federations, access to experienced coaching can make a practical difference. Players can learn opening preparation, game analysis, tournament routines and ways to handle pressure that are difficult to develop without regular guidance.
The relationship also works at a human level. Players from smaller chess nations often see India's leading players as examples of what is possible. Meeting established Indian players can give young competitors another connection to the wider chess world.
But the impact of coaching cannot always be measured through medals or final standings.
It can be seen when a player understands an opening idea that had previously confused them. It can be seen when a team loses a difficult game but returns to the board the next day with a better plan. It can also be seen when a player from a country with little chess infrastructure gets the opportunity to compete internationally for the first time.
That is where the work of coaches such as Lahiri, Zaveri and Mokal becomes important.
India's chess story is often told through its grandmasters, young champions and international results. Those achievements have helped establish the country as one of the major centres of world chess.
But the influence of Indian chess is not limited to India's own teams.
Coaches are carrying knowledge beyond the country's borders and working with players who may not have access to the same facilities, training systems or competitive opportunities available in established chess nations.
The Chess Olympiad brings together countries with very different levels of experience and resources. That difference is visible on the scoreboard, but it does not define the value of participation.
For some teams, the tournament is also a classroom.
A difficult game becomes a lesson. A stronger opponent becomes a reference point. A new opening becomes something to study. And a first international victory can change how a player sees their own possibilities.
The major results from the Olympiad will naturally attract attention. But the growth of chess is also measured in smaller developments that may not make the headlines.
A Bhutanese player analysing a difficult loss, a Caribbean player earning valuable international experience or a Cayman Islands team discovering the benefits of systematic coaching are all part of that growth.
Indian chess has built a strong reputation at the highest level. Through its coaches, that experience is now reaching players and teams far beyond India.
The most lasting contribution may not always be another medal. Sometimes it is simply helping another player understand the game a little better and giving them the confidence to return to the board and play again.
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