The school teacher who is building a chess movement in Nagaland
“Nobody wanted to learn chess — because they didn’t know what chess was.”
That is how Mengise Haikam describes the beginning of his journey in Peren, Nagaland. Today, his initiative spans 11 schools and has produced a FIDE-rated tournament for rural students. As Gift of Chess expands to the state, his story stands as proof of what one committed teacher can build.
Photo: Mengise Haikam
Meeting the man behind the movement
At the FIDE Global Conference on Chess in Society and Education in Bhubaneswar, I met many educators and organisers doing meaningful work. But one conversation stayed with me long after the conference ended. Mengise Haikam is an English teacher from Peren, Nagaland. Soft-spoken, measured, and quietly determined, he did not introduce himself as a chess organiser or activist. He is, first and foremost, a school teacher. Chess simply became an extension of how he thinks education should work. In his free time, he teaches chess to his students. That, in itself, is admirable. But what struck me more was this: he also travels to schools within a 10-kilometre radius of where he lives, offering free chess training to children who otherwise may never encounter the game.
Gift of Chess reaches Nagaland!
It is precisely for stories like this that the Gift of Chess initiative exists. The idea is simple: place chessboards in the hands of individuals who will ensure they do not gather dust, but instead spark activity, curiosity, and community. As we now expand the initiative to Nagaland, the focus is not just on distribution — it is on partnership. Whenever we speak to people to assess their fit for our mission, the real question is never “Where do we send the chessboards?” but “Who will carry the mission forward?” In Mengise, we seem to have have found that answer for Nagaland.
Read more about our work with the Gift of Chess in India.
“I started playing chess very late, when I joined college,” he told ChessBase India. “At the beginning, I wasn’t very good. My brother taught me. He and a few of my friends would play, and slowly my interest developed.” What began as curiosity became commitment. He started playing state tournaments. Around 2004–05, when mobile internet was still a novelty in many parts of India, he downloaded an application called Chess Link and began practising seriously. For nearly a decade, he remained active in tournaments across the state. Eventually, life shifted. He focused on becoming a school teacher. Competitive play receded. But chess never left him.
And that is where the story truly begins.
Nobody wanted to learn chess!
When he joined the school as a teacher, he realised something simple and profound: his students had never been exposed to chess.
When I asked them to voluntarily come forward, there was nobody who wanted to learn chess, because they did not know what chess was! I decided to make chess a compulsory subject, so everybody would learn how to play chess, says Mengise.
That sentence stayed with me. Instead of getting disheartened, he shifted his focus. He realised it wasn’t rejection, but a lack of exposure!
"I gathered them in a hall, brought the demonstration board, and started teaching them the ABCs and 1-2-3 of chess. How to move the pieces. The name of the squares. I started giving them lessons, and slowly they began to learn. They became very interested. They started playing chess during free classes or break time and recess time. Earlier when the kids had free time they would be running around, playing football or volleyball. Now all of them have become interested in chess. Now, all the time after class or during free time and recess they come and ask for a chess board.” A beaming Mengise adds, “My students also play tournaments now.”
Greatly impressed with everything I heard, I asked Mengise if the chessboards that were currently in his school were purchased by him. “No, I requested the school authorities to buy some chessboards for them. With that we started playing chess. Slowly, we began to organise chess tournaments for our students. This is how it is growing. I have also formed one inter-school chess association in my area. We have full-fledged members of 11 schools. With the help of these 11 schools, we are organising chess tournaments in our area”, he tells me.
“We are currently hosting a FIDE rated tournament. The students were keen to enrol for tournament, but the parents didn’t have funds to spare. We requested teachers from these 11 schools to support one student each. Everyone chipped in ₹300 for the AICF fees and we made the tournament free for the students. Altogether we have 40 participants in this tournament. We also plan to organize another such inter-school tournament in the months of September-October.”
When we first spoke about the Gift of Chess initiative, I asked Mengise how he would use additional chess sets if they were sent to Nagaland. He asked for time.
A few days later, he came back with a plan.
He had spoken to friends and chess coaches from different districts — connections he had built years ago while playing state tournaments. Together, they want to visit schools, colleges, orphanages, old-age homes, and rehabilitation centres. They want to organise more tournaments in rural areas. They want to ensure that lack of equipment is never the reason a child does not discover chess.
This is precisely why the Gift of Chess exists.
Not to simply distribute boards — but to place them in the hands of people who will multiply their impact.
Mengise is one such multiplier.
The silent builders of Indian Chess
We often celebrates grandmasters, prodigies, and international successes. And rightly so.
But beneath that visible layer is another network — teachers, volunteers, local organisers — who are building the foundation brick by brick.
Mengise Haikam is one of them.
He did not wait for infrastructure.
He did not wait for permission.
He did not wait for funding.
He started with what he had.
And sometimes, that is where real revolutions begin.
We are deeply grateful to the Gift of Chess and Ambit Capital for enabling us to support such grassroots leaders. With individuals like Mengise leading from the front, we are sure, chess will find many new homes and hearts in Nagaland!
If you are someone in Nagaland who is inspired to join him in his mission, learn how to do what Mengise does, or simply support his work, you can contact him at +91 7005458265.
About the Gift of Chess
"The Gift of Chess" is a non-profit organization whose aim is to distribute 1 million chess sets across the world by 2030. They believe, chess is the great equalizer, a shared universal language that can help expand opportunities for all! Chess breaks down barriers and facilitates connection across age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. Heads of state can sit across the chessboard from children from the slum communities and be perfectly equal. The Gift of Chess is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) charity, in the US. Currently they have reached 70 countries globally and are planning to reach every single country.
For the distribution of their chess sets in India, they have partnered with ChessBase India and the HelpChess Foundation. They have committed to distribute 30,000 chess sets across the country. Ambit Capital — a familiar name in Indian chess for its support of players like GM Vidit Gujrathi, GM R. Ilamparthi, and WIM Kalyani Sirin — extended its backing to the Gift of Chess initiative by covering the transportation costs through its CSR programme.
Important links
The Gift of Chess website
The Gift of Chess Twiiter
The Gift of Chess Instagram
The Gift of Chess India Instagram
The Gift of Chess India Facebook
The HelpChess Foundation website
About the author
Kartik Krishnan works at ChessBase India, leading partnerships and strategic initiatives across events, media, and grassroots development. He plays an active role in expanding the Gift of Chess programme across India.
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