On a balmy Tuesday evening, I enter the Indian Chess School on the first floor of Don Bosco School’s gymnasium in Matunga. As I step into the gym, I notice eight kids sitting in rapt attention and looking at a giant chess screen on the wall. In a corner, coach Rajababu Ganjagi sits on a chair giving instructions to the children, explaining how to make the next move. My eyes turn to a petite, bespectacled girl who seems to be taking furious mental notes.

After winning two state championships in the under 7 and under 9 categories, Avril now hopes to win the under 11 category next year. Pics/ Sayed Sameer Abedi