7 Players Receive Laptops Through the ChessBase India YouTube Members Program

The Players who received the laptops through this program!

A laptop is now an essential part of a chess player’s training. It gives players access to databases, analysis engines, online classes and tournament preparation tools. When a device is outdated or unreliable, players can lose valuable time and opportunities to learn. Providing budding talent with dependable technology helps remove that barrier and gives them the resources to develop their skills.

The YouTube Membership Program

On the ChessBase India YouTube Channel, the YouTube Memberships have helped make this support possible. Launched in 2020, memberships initially helped fund support for individual players.

The contributions were later pooled to provide laptops to players who needed them for training.

The 2023-2024 edition provided laptops to 9 players.

The 2024-2025 edition provided laptops to 14 players.

Now, in the current edition, 7 new players have been added to the list.

The "Join" button helps contribute entirely to young chess players.

The Story Behind the Laptop Program

ChessBase India launched YouTube memberships in 2020 to support Indian chess players. Initially, the monthly contributions went to individual players. As the funds grew, Amruta suggested pooling them to provide laptops to players who lacked reliable devices for training. The idea was inspired by an earlier laptop initiative that had supported young players, including Amruta herself.

Amruta (2nd from right) was a benefactor when GM Abhijit Kunte came up with this idea to gift laptops to chess players with the help of Nitin Kareer (IAS officer) and Anand Deshpande (Chairman of Persistent Systems).

Through the ChessBase India YouTube Members Laptop Program, we collected ₹7,79,477.30 in contributions between April 2025 and March 2026. These funds are being used to provide laptops to nine selected players, helping them with game analysis, online classes, and tournament preparation. Here are the players and the laptop models they have received.

Player	Laptop Received
Rayaan Mikael Rozario	ASUS Vivobook 15
Nakshatra Gumudavelly	ASUS Vivobook 15
Siddharth Anuj	Asus Vivobook 15
Deekshitha Modipalli	ASUS Zenbook 14
Vyom Malhotra	Asus Zenbook 14
Namitbir Singh Walia	ASUS Zenbook 14
Illanparthi	Laptop on its way.

Making Chess Training Easier

We asked the players how their new laptops were helping with training and to share their experience with us, from online classes to game analysis and tournament preparation. Here’s what they had to say.

Rayaan Mikael Rozario:
“My coach is teaching me how to use ChessBase to find and analyse Grandmaster games. We have downloaded many games, and I’m excited to explore different variations. Since I haven’t used chess software before, my coach is also helping me learn how to prepare for opponents before tournaments.”
Rayaan recently became the National Under-9 Chess Champion. He used to prepare on a phone and did not use the proper software. This is his very first laptop!

A new laptop, ready for the next training session.

Nakshatra Gumudavelly:
“This laptop has been very helpful in my chess journey. I use it for my online classes and regular training. I’ve also started using ChessBase to analyse my games and access chess databases, which will help me prepare and improve. It has become an important part of my daily chess routine. Thank you, ChessBase India, for supporting me.”

Nakshatra will attend online chess classes from her new laptop.

Siddharth Anuj:
“My new laptop has made my online classes much easier because the webcam is better than the one on my previous laptop. ChessBase loads games quickly, so I don’t have to wait when I’m preparing. The battery lasts a long time, and the large screen makes it easier to study games and annotations. Thank you, ChessBase India and all the sponsors. I’ll do my best to make you proud.”

Siddharth prepares for his next tournament on his new laptop.

A Faster, More Convenient Training Routine

Deekshitha Modipalli:
“This laptop is very helpful for my chess practice and training. My old laptop was badly damaged during my trip to Serbia. I like that the new laptop is lightweight and has a touchscreen, which makes it convenient to use.”

Deekshitha’s lightweight touchscreen laptop is ready for training at home or on the move

Vyom Malhotra:
“My previous laptop gave me technical problems during my last Czech Open tournament, so I had to work using my phone. Since receiving this laptop, my training has been smooth and free of technical issues. All my software works properly, and the speed saves me time. I especially like that it is lightweight and easy to carry to tournaments. It has also fixed the speaker problems that were affecting my training. Thank you, ChessBase India, for selecting me and giving me a new laptop.”

Better tools for deeper analysis and more focused preparation for Vyom Malhotra

Namitbir Singh Walia
Namitbir has already incorporated his laptop into his daily training. He uses it for e-books and ChessBase, which now runs smoothly and speeds up game analysis. His previous device couldn't handle chess.com Proctor events, but he can now start playing them again. He also enjoys the touchscreen and says the faster processing has made his training more efficient.

Namitbir works through e-books and chess databases on his new laptop

Illanparthi has not received his laptop yet because of a logistics issue, but it is on its way, and he will receive it very soon.

A Huge Thanks to our YouTube Members

Because of you, our YouTube members, these players now have reliable laptops to support their chess training. Your contributions made this program possible and will help them study, analyse games, attend online classes and prepare for tournaments without the technical problems they faced before. Every membership adds to this support, and together you have helped make a real difference to their daily training. Thank you for standing behind these players and being part of their chess journeys!