ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Rathish.
I play chess, I teach chess, and
I still love it.

A chess player and coach from Ooty. For the last seven years I've been teaching chess to kids and families across India, the US and the UK.

FIDE rated · 1670 University champion, 2019 200+ students

Rathish standing in front of farm terraces in the Nilgiri hills

Home, in the Nilgiri hills.

It started with losing.
A lot.

I was born in Ooty and grew up around Mettupalayam. Small towns, where nobody really talked about chess.

My uncle taught me the game when I was seven or eight. Our family played only two games, chess and cards. They believed a sharp mind mattered more than anything.

We were a big cousin family, and I was the youngest. So I lost. To everyone. Every single time.

I took it personally, in a good way. I didn't just want to play them. I wanted to beat them.

How chess grew up with me

For a long time I had no idea professional chess was even a thing. For me, chess was a few books and whoever I could play. Then the world got bigger.

Age 9Found my first chess coach at St Joseph's school

Grade 9Played my first FIDE tournaments

Grade 10Put chess on hold, scored 94% in my board exams

2016–18Went all in during 11th and 12th, reached a 1565 rating

CollegeJoined PSG CAS on the sports quota

2019Became Bharathiar University champion

2021–24Worked in EdTech and at Zomato, kept playing, climbed to 1670

2024Chose chess full time: coaching kids and travelling

Rathish playing a tournament game in 2019 — November 2019, my college chess days.

Rathish playing a rated tournament game — Tournament rounds, still my favourite place.

Rathish receiving a prize on stage at the Chessmii International — Prize at the 6th Chessmii International.

Rathish in a Tamil Nadu jersey at the National Amateur Chess Championships 2026 — Playing for Tamil Nadu at the 2026 Nationals.

THE PART THAT MATTERS MOST

I'm here because of good people.

We didn't have much money growing up. For us, chess was a luxury.

There were months I couldn't pay my coach. They trained me anyway. Some people paid my tournament fees. At away tournaments we often slept at the venue, because a room wasn't in the budget.

At one tournament in Wayanad, Kerala, I couldn't pay the entry fee. I told the organiser, "I don't have the money, but I'm going to win, and I'll pay you back." He just smiled and let me play.

"Everything I know came from people who loved chess and shared it freely."

That's why I never chase anyone for fees. I still remember what it felt like on the other side.

How I think about chess today

Chess is for enjoying

Chess over coffee, chess for skills, chess for fun. If you're not enjoying it, something's wrong.

Money never comes first

Someone gave me a chance when I couldn't pay. I try to be that person for others.

Slow living, Ooty style

I don't need a big life. Travel a little, teach a lot, play whenever I can.

Rathish shaking hands with a student before a game

STUDENT WINS

The wins I'm proudest of aren't mine

Medals, trophies and big tournament days, from students we coach across India, the US and beyond.

A young student wearing her tournament medal — Medal day in New York.

Four students holding tournament trophies — Four players, four trophies.

Two young students at the Tata Steel Chess tournament — At Tata Steel Chess, Netherlands.

A detour, and the way back

After college I worked in EdTech in Mumbai, then at Cuemath in Bangalore, then a year in marketing at Zomato. Chess stayed on the side, and my rating kept climbing.

In 2024 I stopped pretending. I went full time into coaching kids, did a bit of marketing consulting, and started travelling the country, playing and teaching wherever I landed. This is where I'm happiest.