Gave Up IIT, Left Home and Slept on Roads: How Rajasthan’s First AGM Put Udaipur on the Global Chess Map

Chandrajeet Singh Rajawat’s chess journey is a story of passion, sacrifice and resilience. From giving up an IIT opportunity at 16 to sleeping on railway platforms and stadiums, he went on to become Rajasthan’s first Arena Grandmaster and build a chess academy with a global presence.

Udaipur, popularly known as the City of Lakes, has long been celebrated for its palaces, lakes and history. But for Chandrajeet Singh Rajawat, the city has another identity — one shaped by the 64 squares of a chessboard.

Today, Rajawat represents Udaipur through chess, mentoring students in India and abroad while also training chess coaches. His journey, however, began with a decision that changed his life: walking away from an IIT opportunity to pursue chess.

From Cricket to Chess at 16

Chess was not Rajawat’s first sporting passion. As a youngster, he played cricket at the district level but eventually moved away from the sport.

While preparing for the IIT entrance examination, he discovered chess almost by accident through a video game. His interest deepened after watching his father play.

Rajawat taught himself the basics and defeated his father the very next day.

His real fascination with competitive chess emerged around 2011-12, when he participated in his first tournament.

“I really fell in love with chess,” he recalled.

Starting competitive chess at around 16, considered relatively late compared with many elite players, Rajawat improved rapidly. After struggling in his first tournament, he began performing better and eventually won one of his early events, emerging as one of Udaipur’s promising chess players.

Parents Wanted Him to Focus on IIT

Rajawat's growing involvement in chess soon worried his parents, particularly because his preparation for the IIT entrance examination was being affected.

He began participating in tournaments secretly. Whenever his photograph appeared in local newspapers after a win, his parents discovered what he had been doing.

The decisive moment came when his IIT entrance results arrived.

Rajawat had secured a rank that could have opened the door to a conventional engineering career. But he had already decided to return to chess.

When it came time to complete his IIT counselling process, he chose not to pursue it.

His parents were deeply upset.

“I was a little obsessive about it,” Rajawat recalled, adding that he was determined to deal with whatever difficulties followed.

Eventually, after repeated disagreements, the teenager left his home with only a few belongings.

Sleeping on Trains and Stadiums

Rajawat travelled to Delhi to pursue chess without a financial safety net.

Even entering his first FIDE-rated tournament proved challenging because of an eligibility dispute with the All India Chess Federation (AICF).

In 2014, he eventually participated in a tournament in Delhi that charged an entry fee of around Rs 3,500 and provided shared accommodation.

Without that arrangement, he said, he did not even have a place to stay.

The years that followed were extremely difficult.

He began representing Rajasthan on the national chess circuit, but money remained scarce. His phone was stolen, and there were occasions when he slept in stadiums, trains and even on the road between tournaments.

“I had money for food, but not much beyond that,” he recalled.

Yet Rajawat never seriously considered returning home.

For him, the hardship was worth enduring because he was doing what he loved — playing chess.

One Tournament Changed His Life

A tournament in Delhi became a major turning point.

After winning several games, Rajawat became overconfident and suffered an unexpected defeat against a lower-rated player. He began questioning whether he should continue.

For a brief moment, he considered returning home.

Instead, he decided to play the remaining rounds.

In the final game, he arrived just 28 minutes into a 30-minute default window. His opponent was a much more experienced Air Force player.

Rajawat had roughly a minute left on his clock while his opponent had about an hour.

With nothing to lose, he fought back and eventually won.

“After that I felt, now I can do anything,” he recalled.

That victory became a psychological turning point in his chess career.

Rajasthan’s First Arena Grandmaster

Rajawat soon became known as a resourceful player capable of winning difficult positions.

He eventually earned the Arena Grandmaster (AGM) title, becoming Rajasthan's first player to achieve the distinction.

His career also brought him across the board against several players who would later become some of the biggest names in Indian chess, including Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin.

He also began defeating FIDE-rated Grandmasters.

From Chess Player to Chess Coach

While competing, Rajawat enrolled in mathematics at Delhi University. However, tournaments, travel and chess eventually took priority.

Around the end of 2015, he began teaching chess informally in Delhi.

What started as a way to earn money gradually developed into a profession. He travelled across the city to coach students and, by 2017-18, began working institutionally, including at the British School.

The initial years of coaching were difficult too. He stayed with friends and eventually rented a room from an uncle on credit.

But slowly, chess coaching became a sustainable career.

Returning to Udaipur and Building a Global Chess Academy

In 2019, Rajawat returned to Rajasthan after becoming concerned about the lack of chess infrastructure in the state.

He established Kingdom of Chess in Udaipur and initially taught as many as 100 students himself.

His students went on to win state and national titles, Commonwealth and Asian gold medals, and a World Championship medal.

But Rajawat soon realised that personally teaching hundreds of children would not be enough.

“I realised I could teach 100 children alone, but never thousands,” he said.

That realisation led him towards a larger mission: training chess coaches who could teach the next generation.

Today, his chess academy has expanded its reach to around 30 countries, combining chess education with opportunities for coaches and tutors.

A Chess Journey Built on Resilience

Rajawat's journey from an aspiring IIT student to a professional chess player, coach and entrepreneur is not simply a story about winning tournaments.

It is about choosing an uncertain path, surviving years without financial security and refusing to abandon a passion even when circumstances made success seem unlikely.

Before leaving home in 2014, Rajawat wrote a poem for his future self.

He wanted to read it someday after achieving something significant.

Years later, his story has become that achievement — a journey that took him from Udaipur to the national chess circuit and eventually onto the global chess education map.