Meet Avika Shukla | High School Student and Founder at Checkmate Betul

We had the good fortune of connecting with Avika Shukla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Avika, how does your business help the community?
Checkmate Betul is an all-girls chess initiative I founded to close the gender gap in chess. Only about 11 of every 100 FIDE-rated players are women. It started small: teaching chess online to my housekeeper’s children during a summer visit to Betul, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, India. Today the program reaches around 100 girls, ages 8-18, across six schools and tuition centers in Betul and Bhadohi, taught by an all-girls team of instructors spanning several countries, FIDE arbiters, Women International Masters, and strong state-level players among them. We run a blended model: girls gather in person around physical boards while instructors teach remotely, since many local schools don’t have chess coaches. Beyond the game itself, the girls are building focus, patience, and confidence, skills that carry into the classroom and beyond. It’s been rewarding to watch girls who’d never touched a chessboard start asking their own questions and trusting their own decisions, both over the board and off it.

What should our readers know about your business?
I was introduced to chess at five years old by my grandfather, and it became far more than a hobby. It taught me patience, discipline, and how to sit with a hard problem until it resolves. I played competitively for years, but it wasn’t until I got involved with Queens United Chess in Chicago that I really saw how male-dominated the chess world still is. Only about 11 out of every 100 FIDE-rated players are women. At tournaments, I was often one of a handful of girls in a field of over a hundred, and that experience was shared by nearly everyone on what would become my team.

Checkmate Betul started almost by accident. I was visiting family in Betul, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, and ended up playing chess with my housekeeper’s children. They asked if I could teach them. I was about to fly back to the U.S., and my first instinct was that it just wasn’t possible. The distance, the time difference, the lack of resources. But chess doesn’t require being in the same room. A board, a screen, and a willingness to learn were enough. That idea became Checkmate Betul: an all-girls chess program that now reaches over 100 girls, ages 8 to 18, across schools and tuition centers inacross India taught by an international, all-girls team of instructors, arbiters, and Women International and Candidate Masters.

It has not been easy. Most of these schools don’t have in-house chess coaches, reliable contact information, or even websites, which makes outreach genuinely difficult. Funding is our biggest ongoing challenge. Even basics like projectors and study materials require real fundraising. What’s worked is building a blended model out of necessity: girls sit together with physical boards while instructors join remotely, so the lack of local infrastructure doesn’t stop the program from running.

What I’m proudest of isn’t a number; it’s what I’ve watched happen to the girls themselves. They’ve gone from never having touched a chessboard to asking their own questions, planning their own moves, and trusting their own judgment, on the board and off it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that impact isn’t about having every resource in place before you start. It’s about understanding the community you’re serving, building real trust, and staying consistent even when the infrastructure around you is limited. If there’s one thing I want people to take from this story, it’s that a girl asking “can you teach me?” can be the start of something much bigger than either of you expected.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Day 1-2, I’d start them off in Deep Ellum.Grab tacos and a margarita at one of the local spots, then bar-hop through the neighborhood at night. Bishop Arts District is next: walking-friendly, full of local boutiques, coffee shops, and great restaurants for brunch.

Mid-week, we’d head to Frisco for a full day at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters and entertainment district. If we’re there on a game day or event weekend, Tostitos Championship Plaza is worth walking through too.

Later in the week, I’d take them downtown to see the Dallas skyline from Reunion Tower, walk through the Dallas Arts District (one of the largest in the country), and spend an afternoon at the Perot Museum or the Sixth Floor Museum for some history. White Rock Lake is a great spot for an easy morning walk or bike ride if we want something more low-key.

For food and drink throughout the week, Dallas doesn’t disappoint. Tex-Mex, real Texas barbecue, and a genuinely underrated food truck scene. Having close family freinds in the city, I’d spend alot of quality time with them + hang out with them and get a taste of Southern Hospitality.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to start with my parents and my sister. Their support has been the foundation for everything, including giving me the space and encouragement to take an idea from a summer visit to Betul and actually build it into something real.

I also want to shout out my entire Checkmate Betul team: Dhritee, Shreya, Eesha, Zara, Audrey, Christina, Iris, Claire, Nidhisri, Vihaana, and Nandini. This program only works because of them: an all-girls team spread across continents who show up week after week to teach, mentor, and build a space where girls feel like they belong at the board. Every one of them has poured real time and heart into this.

And I owe so much to my mentor, Ms. Tris Ann Richards, President of the FIDE Women’s Commission. Her guidance and belief in what we’re building has shaped both the program and how I think about the work of closing the gender gap in chess. Having someone at that level invest in this mission has meant more than I can fully put into words. I have to start with my parents and my sister: their support has been the foundation for everything, including giving me the space and encouragement to take an idea from a summer visit to Betul and actually build it into something real. She has been open to me working with her since day 1 and allows me to support her and learn from her regarding the workings of an international commission.

I also want to shout out my entire Checkmate Betul team: Dhritee, Shreya, Eesha, Zara, Audrey, Christina, Iris, Claire, Nidhisri, Vihaana, and Nandini. This program only works because of them: an all-girls team spread across countries who show up week after week to teach, mentor, and build a space where girls feel like they belong at the board. Every one of them has poured real time and heart into this.

And I owe so much to my mentor, Ms. Tris Ann Richards, President of the FIDE Women’s Commission. Her guidance and belief in what we’re building have shaped both the program and how I think about the work of closing the gender gap in chess. Having someone at that level invest in this mission has meant more than I can fully put into words.

Website: https://checkmate-betul.netlify.app/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/checkmatebetul/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avika-shukla-5212572a4/

Image Credits
Credits to Checkmate Betul and Sreejan Learning Hub