Children staying at St. Jude India ChildCare Centres (St. Judes) who are undergoing cancer treatment in Mumbai and Chennai hospitals, have been recently introduced with a chess program that aims to enhance their memory, concentration and confidence. \u00a0<\/p>\n

For the underprivileged parents from across India who bring their children to cities like Mumbai for cancer treatment, St. Judes, a non-profit, provides them free accommodation for as long as their treatment period continues in the hospitals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On February 11, 2025, a Mumbai-based sports coaching organisation, ChessMates Academy, introduced a\u00a0chess coaching session for the St. Judes Cotton Green Campus children and parents. Later, on February 18, the program was extended to the Kharghar centre. On February 16, the program was also introduced in Royapettah, Chennai centre. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Melwin Mascarenhas, coach and co-founder of ChessMates Academy, Mumbai said, \u201cChess helps the children stay focused, think ahead, and build confidence\u2014all while having fun.\u201d <\/p>\n

The chess coaching initiative was taken by\u00a0St. Jude\u2019s Third Circle team that was formed in 2019 to provide emotional support to families residing at its centres through various educational and interactive initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the first day of the session, the children and their caregivers were explained about chess, its benefits in improving focus, problem-solving, and strategic thinking. The children were introduced to\u00a0\u2018ChessPa\u2019, a fun grandfather-like chess character for engagement. After the introduction, chessboards along with a demo chessboard, and a ChessPa book were provided to the children to enrol them in the program. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anil Nair, Chief Executive Officer of St. Judes said that the\u00a0Chess Coaching Program is an opportunity for the\u00a0children to engage their minds and build resilience. \u201cEncouraging children to take up chess not only offers a fun and intellectually stimulating activity but also helps them build confidence and sportsmanship. Children were provided with chessboards from the academy as a gift. At present we have started the program only in Mumbai and Chennai, we will roll out in other cities soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

At present, 32 children of which 16 are between the age group of 5 and 8 and 16 are 9 and above are part of the program at Cotton Green Campus. The Kharghar centre has 23 children between the age group of 5 and 15 and in Chennai, there are eight children between the age group of 8 and 15. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The chess classes are scheduled twice a week for children. However, the children\u00a0practice and play on a regular basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even though St. Judes offers a variety of indoor games such as carrom, ludo, and bingo for parents and children, Mr. Nair said that the introduction of chess has a crucial role in the healing process. \u201cWe introduced chess to help prevent potential cognitive decline and promote emotional resilience during their cancer treatment. Chess has been shown to have proven benefits in enhancing memory, concentration, problem-solving skills, and boosting resilience and confidence in children.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are 46 St. Judes centres in 11 cities in India where 586 families are staying at present. The centres are in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Vellore, Guwahati, New Delhi, Varanasi, Visakhapatnam and Muzaffarpur. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In Mumbai, there are four centres located in Parel, Navi Mumbai, Cotton Green East, and Bhayandar that support 225 families. The centre works alongside Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai; All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi; Tata Medical Centre in Kolkata, and various other cancer hospitals in other cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n