A tribal student studying in a government school has secured first place in the Under-14 category at the cluster-level chess tournament held in Narasipuram, Coimbatore, after receiving free chess coaching through an initiative by Isha.
The cluster-level chess tournament was held on July 16, 2026 (Thursday) at Kalaimagal College of Arts and Science in Narasipuram, near Thondamuthur. Around 70 students from government and private schools participated in the competition.
In the Under-14 girls' category, Nivetha, a student of Narasipuram Government Higher Secondary School from the tribal village of Pattiyarkoilpathi, won the first prize. She has now qualified to compete at the district-level tournament.
Other notable winners coached by Isha included:
In the Under-11 category, Bhavyasree of Isha Vidhya School secured second place.
In the Under-14 category, Moonu Sausthika of Isha Vidhya School finished second, while Bhoomika of Mathvarayapuram Government Higher Secondary School claimed third place.
In the Under-19 girls' category, Nanditha and Nandana, both from Isha Vidhya School, secured first and second places, respectively.
In the Under-19 boys' category, Mithunesh of Mathvarayapuram Government Higher Secondary School won first place, while Sachin of Isha Vidhya School secured third place.
All of these students received chess coaching through Isha's training programme.
Speaking about her achievement, Nivetha said:
"Neither I nor the other students in our tribal village had much exposure to chess. Through Isha, Swami Dathya came to our village and taught chess free of cost to the students. His coaching inspired many of us to learn the game. I have now been performing well in district-level competitions, and winning first place at the cluster level makes me very happy."
Swami Dathya, a full-time Isha volunteer who trains tribal and rural students in chess, said:
"We started coaching tribal and village children living around the Isha region to develop their interest in chess. They have enthusiastically learned the game's techniques and are now performing exceptionally well in competitions.
Today, chess training and tournament participation are often accessible mainly to students from urban and economically privileged backgrounds. Government school students in rural areas rarely get such opportunities. These children have proved that with proper coaching and encouragement, students from rural government schools can also excel and achieve success in chess."