These virtual chess academies promise world-class learning experiences

Express press service

For some, chess is a religion, and Adam Tukhayev, Alexsey Goganov and Vladimir Georgiev, gods. Now imagine in the middle of a biting online game with your favorite grandmaster, the platform plays a spoiler and, before you can respond, you are disconnected. ‘Sorry. We’re having technical difficulties, ‘what a buzz-kill this is. Enter Udemys chess platforms such as Nurtr, FanNxt.Now by Tech Mahindra, and Chessvicky which are leading the way in providing their users with a seamless experience of online chess lessons. The companies claim to have built their own technology with proprietary learning platforms tailored to deliver the best technology and education experiences.

Launched by Dharmendra Yashovardhan in 2019, Nurtr is a Gurugram-based online skill academy that focuses on chess. With approximately one lakh users in 70 countries, the platform allows chess enthusiasts to interact and learn from over 100 chess grandmasters from around the world through recorded and live lessons. In August, Nurtr launched technology to create cinematically recorded videos to give chess enthusiasts exciting interactive lessons with world-class coaches. This gives users more for every dollar, Yashovardhan says.

“The Chess Dream Room, a cinematic chess learning program offers a 70-hour on-demand video course for students. Chess coaches and film crews worked for 18 months to create these interactive videos,” says Yashovardhan, of the videos which are shot with high-end cameras to ensure they sound crisp, HD visuals and lighting that bring the pawns into focus.

Tech Mahindra’s FanNxt.Now is the newest kid on the chess block. Built under the mentorship of world chess champion Viswanathan Anand, the platform was launched in Chennai during the 44th Chess Olympiad in July. Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer at Tech Mahindra, said, “The platform drives hyper-personalized, data-driven fan experiences by leveraging AI, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality. (VR), among others.

Ranjani Rajendra, a Hyderabad-based chess trainer, says AI is the new trainer that provides the framework for calculating his next best move. AR and VR, she explains, make the game realistic by using the movements of the opponent’s thumb and index finger. Chess rigs use an RGBD camera, a camera that provides depth (D) and color (RGB—Red, Green, and Black) data as real-time output.

Ralph Zoontjens, a chess champion from Tilburg, the Netherlands, says that within the next three years chess players can expect to have a digital twin where the avatars of both players compete in an environment immersive.
AR playground. More pawn power.

For some, chess is a religion, and Adam Tukhayev, Alexsey Goganov and Vladimir Georgiev, gods. Now imagine in the middle of a biting online game with your favorite grandmaster, the platform plays a spoiler and, before you can respond, you are disconnected. ‘Sorry. We’re having technical difficulties, ‘what a buzz-kill this is. Enter Udemys chess platforms such as Nurtr, FanNxt.Now by Tech Mahindra, and Chessvicky which are leading the way in providing their users with a seamless experience of online chess lessons. The companies claim to have built their own technology with proprietary learning platforms tailored to deliver the best technology and education experiences. Launched by Dharmendra Yashovardhan in 2019, Nurtr is a Gurugram-based online skill academy that focuses on chess. With approximately one lakh users in 70 countries, the platform allows chess enthusiasts to interact and learn from over 100 chess grandmasters from around the world through recorded and live lessons. In August, Nurtr launched technology to create cinematically recorded videos to give chess enthusiasts exciting interactive lessons with world-class coaches. This gives users more for every dollar, Yashovardhan says. “The Chess Dream Room, a cinematic chess learning program offers a 70-hour on-demand video course for students. Chess coaches and film crews worked for 18 months to create these interactive videos,” says Yashovardhan, of the videos which are shot with high-end cameras to ensure they sound crisp, HD visuals and lighting that bring the pawns into focus. Tech Mahindra’s FanNxt.Now is the newest kid on the chess block. Built under the mentorship of world chess champion Viswanathan Anand, the platform was launched in Chennai during the 44th Chess Olympiad in July. Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer at Tech Mahindra, said, “The platform drives hyper-personalized, data-driven fan experiences by leveraging AI, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality. (VR), among others. Ranjani Rajendra, a Hyderabad-based chess trainer, says AI is the new trainer that provides the framework for calculating his next best move. AR and VR, she explains, make the game realistic by using the movements of the opponent’s thumb and index finger. Chess rigs use an RGBD camera, a camera that provides depth (D) and color (RGB—Red, Green, and Black) data as real-time output. Ralph Zoontjens, a chess champion from Tilburg, the Netherlands, says that within the next three years chess players can expect to have a digital twin where the avatars of both players face each other on a playing field. immersive AR game. More pawn power.