Chess Network has won official permission from Telangana’s School Education department to introduce its chess programme in all government schools. This allows the non-profit to distribute chess boards, train teachers and students, and hold tournaments from local to district levels. The initiative aims to blend chess into school academics and co-curricular activities. The Hindu’s Spotlight column wrote about Chess Network’s work on November 21, highlighting the shift from screens to sports. On December 11, E. Naveen Nicolas, Director of School Education, asked District Education Officers to fully support the effort. They will share school and student data, identify teacher coordinators, and let authorised Chess Network volunteers work on campuses without disrupting classes. The approval covers Telangana Model Schools, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, and all government schools in the State. Participation remains voluntary and follows official guidelines. Founded and mainly backed by NRIs, Chess Network promotes chess for student development. It has already distributed thousands of chess boards and trained teachers in districts like Mahabubnagar. Now the programme will expand state-wide. The president, Sanjay Kumar Gajjala, submitted the proposal to scale the pilot project across Telangana. With official approval, the organisation will quickly start logistics and training with district officials. Chess Network founder, Sudhir Kodati, said, “We owe it to our dedicated team, volunteers, sponsors and the enthusiastic children who embraced the initiative. We thank the officials who supported us despite their heavy responsibilities. We are ready to scale up our efforts in all districts soon.”