Guwahati: Two young chess players from Guwahati, Vihaan Upadhyay (15) and Viraj Upadhyay (13), have been conferred the Outstanding FIDE Social Award in recognition of their efforts to use chess as a tool for social inclusion and education.
The award was presented on January 15 during the FIDE Global Conference on Chess in Society and Education, held at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The honour acknowledges the brothers’ grassroots initiative, Pawns to Kings, which aims to make chess accessible to children from underserved and marginalised communities.
With FIDE ratings of 2101 and 1983 respectively, Vihaan and Viraj have conducted multiple chess workshops across Assam, including in Guwahati, Silchar, Pamohi and Borkhola. Through these programmes, they have reached hundreds of children in remote villages, orphanages and other disadvantaged settings, introducing them to the game irrespective of socio-economic background.
A key component of their work has been Project CHILD, an outreach initiative in flood-affected areas of Cachar district. The project used chess as a medium to help children cope with stress, build resilience and regain a sense of normalcy following natural disasters.
In earlier outreach efforts, the brothers have also worked with child-care homes, juvenile centres and community groups, promoting chess as a means to improve focus, confidence and emotional well-being.
The three-day conference in Bhubaneswar began on January 14 and brought together chess administrators, educators, researchers and social impact practitioners from across the world.
The event also marked the launch of the FIDE Year of Chess in Education 2026, an initiative aimed at integrating chess into learning systems as a tool for cognitive and personal development beyond competitive play.
Senior representatives from the International Chess Federation discussed how chess can contribute to critical thinking, decision-making and life skills, while also stressing the role of inclusion and community-led initiatives in advancing broader educational objectives.
Several prominent figures from the global chess and education community attended the event, including Dana Reizniece, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board; Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE; Jerry Nash, Chair of the FIDE Chess in Education Commission; Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT; Grandmaster Tejas Bakre; and Viswanathan Anand, Deputy President of FIDE.
The recognition of the two Guwahati-based youths highlights the growing role of chess as a social and educational tool, and underscores how locally driven initiatives from the Northeast are gaining international attention.
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