A mother who had to quit her job for Rs 50 LPA is now changing the chess scene in North India

Nidhi Bhasin Rohilla with her two daughters and prominent chess player Taniya Sachdev (special arrangement) NEW DELHI: Have you ever visited a chess tournament? A kind of silence lingers outside the tournament hall. It belongs to the parents. Outside the door, the children crouch over the boards in such complete silence that you can hear the clock ticking. Outside in the hallway, adults sit with water bottles and phones they’re not really looking at, waiting for the result to appear as a small face in the doorway, either illuminated or collapsed.Most people spend those hours waiting. Nidhi Bhasin Rohilla was one of them before she finally sighed, “This is not my cup of tea.”Today, the business she built from hours of contemplation in those quiet corridors holds events in eight states, more than 40 a month, with about 16 paid employees and about 100 volunteers.However, it all started with a sales representative who had to choose between her career and her daughter’s career.

Selection

Shivika Rohilla, Nidhi’s elder daughter, started playing chess in September 2013 at the age of six and a half. The following April, she was second in her age group at the Delhi State Championship.“We realized that she had achieved this in less than six months of playing chess. That’s when we decided to focus on chess more seriously,” Nidhi told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction.A dental graduate, Nidhi has built a sales career in various top corporate institutions. Her husband, a surgeon, worked at AIIMS Delhi.In 2012-13, by her count, Delhi had “maybe only three or four good” chess coaches.“We wanted to ensure that Shivica gets the right guidance, even if it means taking her outside of Delhi,” said Shivica’s mother.

Shivika Rohilla’s first Delhi U8 State Championship (Special Arrangement)

Since both parents were busy earning the funds needed to launch Shiva’s fledgling chess career, they had no time to travel with her to tournaments.“When she started performing well, people advised that if we want her to achieve the required standards and titles, we would have to take her abroad as India did not have enough tournaments at the level required for players aspiring for Grand Masters titles,” she added. “Initially I sent my mother and Shivika to participate in these tournaments.The turning point came when Shivice was about 12 and hit a bad shot. “She was unhappy with her performance and started losing games,” Nidhi continued. “Part of the problem was that it was not financially or practically feasible for us to travel regularly to South India for coaching. We managed it with the coaching available in Delhi.”The coaching was there, but the environment wasn’t. Her school, St. Mary’s, she had little chess culture and her friends mostly dropped out.Nidhi recalled, “Eventually she started questioning whether she should continue playing chess. She would ask, ‘Why should I continue? What opportunities are there in chess?’“At that time I had to choose between my career and Shivika’s chess career. Obviously, when a child has to travel to tournaments, one parent has to accompany them. That’s when I decided I had to step back from my own career and give her the support she required.”

Thinking

Just before the COVID pandemic, Nidhi, who was earning around Rs 50 crore a year at that time, quit her job for good. “I realized that Shivika needed to travel more often. Her rating was close to 2000 and the next step was to work towards achieving the standards and titles she was aiming for,” she recalled.“We were spending an enormous amount of money. We had no external financial support and everything had to be managed by my husband and I. Our savings were being depleted. Almost everything we earned went to chess.”The family was getting closer and closer to calling it quits. But he was waiting for the last shot when Shivik was taken to the top tournament in Brazil and considered it a verdict.“If she performed well and we felt she had a real chance to advance, we would continue to support her. Otherwise, we would reconsider our decision,” she revealed.

LR: Shivika Rohilla, her mother Nidhi and younger sister Rishika (special arrangement)

Shivika was among the top five in her category. “She did well in the games and people appreciated her performance,” said Nidhi. It wasn’t a full stop after all.Eventually, Shivik’s father quit his paid job and opened his own hospital.“A regular salary is often not enough to support a serious chess career unless the family has significant financial resources,” Nidhi said. “Some buses charge Rs 4,000-5,000 per hour.

Gap

Then came the problem that created the growing chess ecosystem. During Shivik’s gap year after Class 12, the family paid training partners Rs 2,000-3,000 per hour.“To prepare for matches against International Masters and Grandmasters, she needed strong practice opponents who could push her to improve,” Nidhi recalled.But Shivika has mostly defeated these practice partners and raised eyebrows in those around her. Her family therefore felt that they were not getting as much from the sessions as they had hoped.Delhi did not have enough top players in one place. So Nidhi built one.“We wanted to create opportunities for players to meet in cafes and play meaningful practice games,” she revealed. The Chess Coffee Connect initiative from SR Chess Academy has arrived.The idea behind the academy, SRCA, grew out of coaches who had already worked with Shivika. “Since I was already paying for Shiva’s coaching, we could use the same arrangement to help other kids learn,” Nidhi explained.It started with two or three children. Today there are almost 80 of them.

Shivik’s books are used as classroom resources (special arrangement)

“In the beginning, we didn’t have a website or a formal set-up. We had a space, a coach, chess books and Shiva’s equipment,” Nidhi recalled with a smile.Chess Coffee Connect, a coffee shop-based circuit, followed as a response to the same loneliness that almost forced Shivik out of the game.Nidhi believes South India has the advantage of a community where players travel together and “analyze their mistakes immediately after playing”.Delhi didn’t have it. “We need to develop a culture where people continue to play chess and support each other,” she added.Now, hundreds of players/chess enthusiasts meet in a specific location almost every week to play games, share ideas and build the community that the North has been missing.

Listening as a strategy

Her explanation for the growth her businesses have seen has little to do with marketing, despite having spent a career in it.“I work from the heart and maintain a strong connection with the players,” she revealed. “Our principle is simple. We listen to what people need and try to provide it.”The results looked like a list of complaints turned into products. Parents wanted a 25+5 time control for practice before graded events, so she created it. Seniors couldn’t afford weekly admissions, so there is a discount. The mothers said that their daughters do not get support from their fathers to play, so these girls play for free.

Students attend courses at SRCA (special arrangement)

Through the NGO Helping Hands, some children receive free books and lessons. However, Nidhi believes that keeping them in the game is difficult: “It can be difficult for them to justify further investment of their limited resources.”The portfolio has since expanded. There are chess education cards, including the Grandmaster series, which he says is trademarked.There is a sports psychology section, Mind to Moves, which runs sessions for parents on assessing anxiety before big tournaments.There is a Chess Moms Club that was born out of parents keeping tabs on coaches and events.

What Delhi was missing

Some of the most eloquent works are not focused on miracles.“We now have senior citizens coming to Chess Coffee Connect and telling us that they played chess at school but haven’t had the chance to play regularly for years,” she said with great joy. “When he gets back in the game, it makes everything worth it.

From young to old, SRCA has made the game fun for all (Special Arrangements)

In addition to various thematic events, the organization also organizes a game between a visually impaired player and a sighted player.“Chess is a game. It’s not just about tournaments, rankings or winning titles. If a child plays because they really love chess, they can enjoy it for a lifetime,” she noted.

Unfinished part

Despite all the scale, finance remains stubbornly domestic.“Sponsorship is our biggest challenge,” she revealed. “Currently we have no sponsors and we fund everything ourselves.”A year’s free membership to Chess.com was the only significant outside help. The feds supported her, she feels. But the bigger issue is the cost, she added: “Cinema venues don’t provide their facilities for free.”“My knowledge of sales, marketing, negotiation and working with organizations helped me reach schools and other institutions.” But she says she didn’t have to push hard because the invitations came through the front door.Meanwhile, Shivika, now a Woman International Master (WIM), is studying aeronautical engineering in London, a five-year course she anchored in class 7 or 8, and hasn’t stopped acting. She recently won a tournament there.The family took the model with them. Chess Coffee Connect has hosted eight ECF rated events in England.When asked if she is satisfied with the work she has been able to do for Shah, Nidhi does not pretend that she is done. “I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve accomplished. However, I know we can always do more.”