T9L QUBE-incubated RookTook partners with STAIRS Foundation to launch the Indian Chess League
NEW DELHI: T9L QUBE incubated startup RookTook partners with STAIRS Foundation to launch the Indian Chess League (ICL). This will further act as the foundation for launching an international league under Indian leadership.Furthermore, this initiative aims to reestablish India's global chess supremacy by building a structured, scalable, and inclusive chess ecosystem that identifies, nurtures, and promotes young chess talent from underserved communities, propelling them from grassroots levels to the international stage. Shubham Rawal , CEO & Co-Founder of RookTook, said in a statement, "For too long, chess has been controlled by global brands that cater only to the elite, leaving casual and amateur players—the heart of the game—without real opportunities. At RookTook, we're rewriting that story. We're building a platform for players from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to monetise their skills, compete at scale, and rise to national and international levels. This partnership with STAIRS Foundation is a step toward making RookTook the #1 platform for tournaments in chess, where the next champion could come from anywhere.'RookTook is a chess platform that allows individuals to participate in daily tournaments and earn rewards. RookTook will offer support for hybrid and offline event execution. This includes gamification, adaptive coaching modules, and event broadcasting setups.Siddhartha Upadhyay, Founder & President of STAIRS Foundation, said in a statement, 'India is in the midst of a youth-led transformation under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, and it is time we reclaim our rightful place in the intellectual sports we once gifted to the world. Chess, rooted in our civilisational heritage, is not just a game—it is a discipline of the mind, a tool for leadership, and a force for national unity. Through the Indian Chess League and our partnership with RookTook, we are activating STAIRS's flagship programme 'One India, One Goal' to take chess from the grassroots to the global arena. This initiative also aligns strongly with the newly launched National Sports Policy by the Government of India, which emphasises talent development, inclusion, digital integration, and the country's emergence as a global sporting powerhouse.'By facilitating linkages with district, state, and national government agencies relevant to youth development, education, and sports, STAIRS aims to serve as the strategic anchor and national-level custodian of the ICL. Additionally, the foundation will anchor the design and implementation of the framework for chess skill certification, life skills integration, and livelihood-linked opportunities aligned with RookTook's play-to-earn model. STAIRS aims to serve as a nodal institution for driving institutional credibility, community trust, and volunteer mobilisation. It will also provide leadership to the mission within its operational structure and community ecosystems, including schools, colleges, NGOs, and rural clusters, for global expansion.
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