About ChessMates Academy
ChessMates Academy was founded in 2025 by Lalit Akhade, a rated chess player with over 12 years of playing experience and 7 years of coaching children. The academy teaches chess online to more than 600 students across 11 countries, using a structured 196-lesson curriculum designed for children aged 5 to 14.
Our mission
To make quality chess education accessible to every child worldwide through live coaching, structured learning, and personal attention.
Why chess for kids
Research published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (Gumede & Rosholm, 2015) found chess instruction improved maths performance in primary school children, and FIDE's Chess in Education programme documents similar gains across 40+ countries. Chess builds concentration, patience, planning and resilience.