Inclusivity through Chess – Saratoga Student Builds Girls4Chess
Neha Sharan engages in a research project at UIUC looking at learning and cognition.
From a redefining moment at a Bay Area chess tournament, a high school girl persevered to build an inclusive platform where everyone felt they belonged in the world of chess. Saratoga High School junior Neha Sharan shares her journey.
When I walked into my first Bay Area chess tournament, I had no idea how defining that moment would become. I scanned the room: 59 boys, and only one girl. Me.
It was impossible not to feel the weight of that imbalance. But instead of shrinking back, I made a choice: I stepped forward. That experience revealed just how isolating it can be to be the only girl in a competitive space.
That moment became the seed of Girls4Chess. It is a nonprofit organization I founded to ensure that every child, especially girls, has equal access to chess, regardless of background or financial circumstances. I wanted to create the kind of environment I wished existed in my first Bay Area chess tournament. One filled with confidence, inclusion, and belonging.
Launching Girls4Chess was far from simple. I had no funding, no chessboard, no clock, and no experience organizing tournaments. What I did have was a belief that meaningful change starts with a single step. I didn’t want girls to walk into a room and wonder whether they belonged. I wanted them to know they belonged the moment they arrived.
My first tournament was built on determination and a lot of uncertainty. I worried that families wouldn’t take a student-led initiative seriously. I worried no one would show up. But I also knew nothing could change if I didn’t try. So, I moved forward by booking a venue, designing flyers, reaching out to parents, and coordinating volunteers.
The response over time took my breath away. Across the six tournaments I organized, more than 150 young players have benefited—many of them being girls stepping into a competitive chess room for the very first time. Every event was filled with energy, confidence, and joy. Watching these players grow, connect, and discover their own potential made it clear to me that the mission truly matters.
Since then, Girls4Chess has grown into a community movement—hosting tournaments, creating opportunities, and giving young players the space to grow, connect, and lead. What began as a simple idea has become a platform that reaches hundreds.
This journey expanded beyond the chessboard. I had the opportunity to collaborate with a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) on a research project exploring learning, cognition, and how students respond to challenge-based environments. This work offered deeper insight into how young minds develop confidence and patterns of resilience. It’s knowledge I now bring back to Girls4Chess.
I am not a national chess master, nor the highest-rated player. My journey in chess doesn’t look traditional, but I’ve learned that leadership isn’t defined by titles or rankings. Sometimes leadership comes from seeing a problem and refusing to wait for someone else to fix it.
Girls4Chess taught me that impact isn’t about age or status. One idea—no matter how small—can break barriers, shift cultures, and create opportunities where none existed. When I started, I could never have imagined that an idea born from a moment of isolation would grow into something recognized through grants, community partnerships, and media coverage.
If there’s one message I hope to share with other young people, it’s this: Your idea matters. You don’t have to be older, richer, or more experienced to make a difference. You just have to begin.
Girls4Chess is proof of that. It started with one girl who didn’t want others to feel alone in chess. Today, it’s evolving into a movement reminding young people everywhere that when we believe in ourselves, there’s no limit to what we can create.
All images by Neha Sharan
