Yes, you read that right. No knowledge of chess is required. Swapnil knows how to make Grandmasters. Now he is looking for someone who knows how to build the business around them.
What will the CEO do?
Everything, end to end: the coaches, admissions, group classes, the offline academy, revenue models and the growth plan. Mind you, this is a leadership role, bigger than operations. Chess Pathshala wants someone who sees where a business is leaking, builds the system to fix it, and owns the result without being asked twice.
Is this you?
Have you personally grown admissions, revenue or a team at a coaching institute, an edtech company, an academy or a similar service business? Can you show the numbers to back it up? Then this could be for you. A love for chess is not on the list. You may well pick that up on the job :)
How it all began
Chess Pathshala started in 2019 as an online academy, with one-to-one coaching for students across India and abroad. Structured video courses and group coaching followed. More than a thousand students from over ten countries have trained with the academy so far. In March 2026, it stepped off the screen and opened its first offline academy, in Nagpur.
The Grandmaster behind it
Swapnil came from a background with no chess culture. He started playing competitive chess at the age of ten and became an International Master at twenty. In 2015, he completed the requirements for the Grandmaster title and became India's 40th GM, and the first ever from the Vidarbha region.
As a coach, his biggest story began in 2016, when he started working with Raunak Sadhwani. Three years later, Raunak became one of the youngest Grandmasters in chess history, at the age of 13 years and 9 months! Sankalp Gupta and Harshit Raja, both Grandmasters today, have also trained with him. Swapnil has coached the Indian women's team at major international events, including the 2018 Asian Nations Cup and the 2019 World Team Championship.
He is an author too. He wrote "Playing the Petroff" for Quality Chess and has created courses for Chessable and Modern Chess.
Testimonials from the best!
"Swapnil's work during the chess olympiad 2018 was amazing. He is very dedicated and creative in finding new ideas." - GM Koneru Humpy
"Swapnil is a very positive, genuine, dedicated and hard-working trainer. He will be a wonderful trainer for many upcoming kids." - GM Harika Dronavalli
"Swapnil Sir helped me improve my endgame technique and also my visualisation skills in the middlegame so that I can calculate deeper." - GM Raunak Sadhwani
"Swapnil Sir helped me overcome my weaknesses and improve my calculation, boosting my confidence." - GM Sankalp Gupta
"Swapnil Sir has a practical and personal approach towards training. Thanks to his psychological tips I feel more confident now!" - GM Harshit Raja
How to apply
The position of CEO of Chess Pathshala is full-time. The person can be in Nagpur or can also do the role remotely. The pay would be something around Rs.70,000 to Rs.80,000 per month plus a profit share linked to the academy's growth.
Swapnil announced the opening on his LinkedIn page. Do you know someone who has built a business like this? Please forward this article to them. They may never have moved a chess piece, but they could end up helping the next generation of Indian Grandmasters along with GM Swapnil Dhopade.
