Chess was invented in India in the 6th Century with Queen being the most powerful piece on the board. However today in the 21st century, the real queens i.e. a vast majority of Indian women are not even powerful enough to get access to basic rights of education.

Infact 20 million girls are denied education in India each year due to the deep-rooted misogyny in Indian society.

Nanhi Kali is a not-for-profit organization with the aim of providing primary education to underprivileged girls in India. Their core objective was to create awareness about how educated women help society and also drive donations towards the education of underprivileged girls.

We introduced the world’s first chess game with a powerless queen where the visitors/players played with a powerless queen (no moves allowed) against the computer which had a powerful queen. This was rolled out as a #PowerlessQueen challenge online and offline

across India, challenging people to try and win. As people lost, we prompted them to share the message and also donate to the cause of girl child education so as to empower them.

The idea showcased how difficult it is to win in chess and as a metaphor in society as well when the queen (Women in society) is a powerless one. Hence proving how societies cannot win if its queens (women) are not empowered.

India is among the top 10 chess playing countries in the world and as of 2017, India has more than 47 chess grandmasters. 80-100 Million Indian viewers watched the 2013 match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.

Through our use of chess, we wanted to reach out to an audience who could not only donate to the cause but also influence others and attract the attention of a larger audience.

To ensure that we reach the right audience, we brought in India's #2 Chess Player & Woman Grandmaster 'Tania Sachdev'. She invited people and fellow chess players to take the Powerless Queen Challenge. Once they played the challenge and lost, they were prompted by a call-to-action inviting them to donate to the cause.

We changed the ancient game of chess with a shift in one simple rule, the most powerful piece was made powerless. This web and mobile based game titled #PowerlessQueen was launched via a campaign website and a video featuring India's number 2 woman chess player

and Grandmaster Tania Sachdev. She urged audiences across the world and her fellow chess players to take up the challenge and try to win. Global chess champions took the challenge and lost the game and came forward to support the #PowerlessQueen. People who lost could choose to take two actions - they could share their experience on Twitter & Facebook or Donate to the cause of the education of the girl child.

To take the concept of Powerless Queen into the physical world, The Chess School of India and The Coach Crew came together to organize a chess tournament where students from across schools participated.

Donations of 40,000 hours of education for underprivileged girls

Earned Media worth 118 Million INR

1.1 Million Views on video

300 Million Organic Impressions with India's national news channel, DD news and NDTV covering it.

52,000+ Game Plays on website

International Chess Grandmasters organically got involved and endorsed the campaign and they were: World Rapid Chess Champion 'Vishwanathan Anand', Hungarian Woman Grandmaster ''Anna Rudolf', Hungarian Woman Grandmaster and Ambassador of Chess and Education & UN Planet 50-50 Champion 'Judit Polgar', Two-time United States Women's Champion 'Jennifer Shahade', Four-time Dutch Chess Champion 'Anish Giri', Five-time Danish Chess Champion and current coach to World number one Magnus Carlsen, 'Peter Heine Nielsen'.

School students from across schools participated in a Powerless Queen Challenge organized by The Chess School of India and The Coach Crew.

Powerless Queen has been rolled out as gender-equality teaching tool across schools in India.