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CHESS : COMMUNITY : COMPETITION

Neela Saldanha: The Three Cs of Chess

BY CHLOE COHEN - THE CHAPIN SCHOOL - COACH & columnist

Friday, February 5, 2021 - Though our work focuses primarily on chess, Her Move Next is truly made special by the community that forms it. We spoke with Neela Saldanha, who is both an HMN parent and volunteer, over Zoom to learn more about her experience with HMN and the chess world.

When did you first become involved with Her Move Next?

My daughter––she’s now in sixth grade––started after school chess in Kindergarten, and I think when she was in second grade there was the movie that was made. The opening shot of the movie is at our house because she was doing a chess birthday party. I think that’s when the movie began, and after that, the organization began. We actually moved to India right after that, so I was keeping up, but not as much. But we’ve been involved since the beginning of Her Move Next.

At the Her Move Next documentary screening a few weeks ago, you spoke about this idea of “the three Cs”; these three principles that guide Her Move Next. Can you tell me a little more about that idea? How have you seen those three principles play out at HMN? 

Of course, at the center of it is chess. That’s what Her Move Next is about, which is that the medium through which these girls learn is through chess, which they all love.

The second C, which is a big one though, is community. We’ve all seen The Queen’s Gambit, right, and that’s about a girl in chess. And that’s really encouraging, but it’s about a single girl, right? And she’s amazing, and she’s talented, and she makes it to the top. I think Her Move Next is a little different because what we’re talking about is a community of girls. It’s not about any particular girl getting top billing or just making it through all the obstacles.

The reason that it works is because of that community. And I’ve seen that with [my daughter]. When there’s a peer group, that really works. They would have chess nights, and then even at the tournaments, they would have fun together. And it’s the whole process of having fun together and learning from each other. […]

And part of the community is that the girls can do anything they want. Of course, they can be top players, but some of them want to be coaches, and some of them want to manage. There’s a role for everyone. It’s not that you have to just be the top-rated player. So, community’s another C.

But the third C, also, […] it’s competitive. So, [chess] teaches girls how to be excellent at something. It is about winning and losing. […] It is about learning some hard lessons: How to keep your nerve, how to bounce back from a loss, how to take a win in stride, how to take someone else’s win in stride.

So, it is competitive, and these girls are very competitive. Through a game, you learn the skills of achievement and mastery, but you also learn about teamwork and community and collaboration.

If people want to get involved in Her Move Next, what are the best ways to do that? 

I would say they should follow the Instagram page! Definitely follow the Facebook page. I think they can then reach out. […] There’s always a role. […] First of all, it’s not just about if you’re an expert or if you just want to play. Even if you’re just starting, too, there’s a role. Just go and join it.

I would also say that Her Move Next is actually about the girls taking this forward and making it their own. It’s not something that’s an institution that we are trying to impose on the girls themselves. It’s your thing. So, get into it, figure out what you want to do. And like I said, it’s just chess. Within that, what you want to do is up to you. Make your community and just roll with it.

Is there anything else you want to add?

I just want to say I haven’t seen this kind of mix between community and competition [before], because normally there’s one or the other. And I just think that once you join, you really make some of your best friends.

So, we moved out of New York, we went to India, and now we’re in another part of the U.S., and [my daughter] is still in touch with all of those friends. So, you make some of your best friends. I think it’s [playing chess] a fabulous skill to learn, [...] and it’s [HMN] just a lovely blend of, like I said, community and competition and chess.