He was barely more than a toddler when he began playing chess online. “Playing chess has definitely calmed them down,” she says, as her girls play and giggle at a chessboard. “Playing chess makes your memory razor-sharp.”The link between chess and academics is backed by research. Chess in India has come a long way since, with the nation emerging as a modern-day world chess power. Over 4,500 of Marottichal’s residents — some 75 percent of its population — are active chess players.