Delhi-based WFM Shivika Rohilla announces initiative for young, underprivileged chess players

Talking about the “Dream Move Initiative”, Rohilla said, “Our mission is to ensure that no child with talent is left behind. This Diwali, we want to light the path for every young player who dreams of making their mark on the chessboard.”

By: Sports Desk

October 20, 2025 11:49 PM IST

2 min read

WFM Shivika Rohilla announced the Dream Move Initiative

Woman FIDE Master Shivika Rohilla has announced an initiative to help young and underprivileged chess players from the national capital free professional chess coaching, study material, offline play opportunities at Chess Coffee Connect, besides financial support for tournament participation. The initiative will be called the “Dream Move Initiative”.

The Chess Coffee Connect initiative, which is also Rohilla and her mother Nidhi Bhasin’s brainchild, in Delhi-NCR is an initiative to build a strong chess culture in Delhi-NCR by hosting regaulr meet-up events revolving around chess. The idea is to have the events at an community-focused environment to try and bridge the gap in a city like Delhi that has traditionally lacked good tournaments and regular playing partners. As part of Chess Coffee Connect initiative, Rohilla and her mother Bhasin host weekly events across Delhi, Noida, and Gurgaon.

The WFM, who started playing chess at just six and a half years old, has announced the new initiative — Dream Move Initiative — to support underprivileged youth on the eve of Diwali as part of collaboration between her academy Shivika Rohilla Chess Academy (SRCA) and Helping Hands.

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Speaking about the program, WFM Shivika Rohilla said, “Our mission is to ensure that no child with talent is left behind. This Diwali, we want to light the path for every young player who dreams of making their mark on the chessboard.”

ALSO READ | Beyond 1.e4 and 1.d4: The case to play 1.b3 in modern chess

Interested families and students can register through the official form link or email helpinghandswithu@gmail.com to apply.

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The WFM is also a regular contributor to The Indian Express and writes the Chess 101 column, where she helps strengthen chess fundamentals with breakdowns on openings.

You can read articles from the Chess 101 series about chess openings here

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