A new chess club open to all will begin at Phoenix Marketcity mall in Chennai on 2nd May
A new chess club is going to begin on the 2nd of May 2026 in Chennai at the Phoenix Marketcity mall in Velachery. The club is a part of the CSR activities of the Cholamandalam finance group and will be named as the Chola Chess Club. It is supported by ChessBase India and Chess Gurukul. The club is absolutely free and open to all and if you do visit it on day one, you will potentially get a chance to play against a future world class player - 10-year-old Sarbartho Mani.
We started a chess club in Mumbai inside a mall 4 years ago! The Phoenix ChessBase India Chess Club at the Phoenix Marketcity Mall began in the month of March in 2022. Since then we have hardly missed a Saturday for the chess club. It's clear that a chess club and a mall has excellent synergy. Chess gets wonderful visibility as a sport and the mall gets more footfalls.
Chola Chess has been a blessing to the players across the country. They started an entire academy where absolutely free training is imparted to talented youngsters of Indian chess for absolutely no cost. They have completed 100 camps with world class trainers. This initiative is run by GM R.B. Ramesh and WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy of Chess Gurukul. This entire initiative is funded by the CSR arm of the Cholamandalam Finance.
Chola Chess is not just content at doing this amazing academy, they also have started with the GM norm round robin tournaments and now are starting a chess club in Chennai at the Phoenix Marketcity mall in collaboration with ChessBase India and Chess Gurukul.
Name of the club: Chola Chess Club
Powered by: ChessBase India and Chess Gurukul
Venue: Phoenix Marketcity mall, Velachery, 2nd floor near Fab India shop
Timings: 3-6 p.m. IST
Launch Date: 2nd May
Special Guest: FM Sarbartho Mani, one of India's biggest talents.
Two Club managers required
To manage the club, we require two enthusiastic people who are interested in running the club. There will be a stipend that will be paid for the work you do and you will have a chance to build a wonderful chess space with a wonderful chess community in Chennai. Those who are interested and are from Chennai, please do fill in the form.
Fill the form to apply for Chola Chess Club manager
Important links:
Instagram Page to follow the activities of the club
WhatsApp channel specifically dedicated to the club
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