Chess Cardinals Team

Chess is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds, teaching strategic thinking, problem-solving, and perseverance. It is also an excellent way to make new friends and meet new people. Chess Cardinals aims to provide an easily accessible platform for all chess enthusiasts, adults, and scholastic players alike, to come together, play competitive chess, and share their love for the game. Our goal is to promote chess and build a strong and vibrant chess community. All these big goals are possible only because of the hard work and relentless efforts by our Chess Cardinals Team.

We want to introduce our team members who work tirelessly within our organization to uphold the community spirit and promote chess.

Our Founder

Gaayathri Binoj (Gaaya)

Gaaya’s lifelong passion is chess, and she founded Chess Cardinals while attending Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, MO. She was the 2022 Missouri Girls Chess State Champion and for her dedicated efforts to reduce the gender gap in chess and promote chess in local communities, she was awarded the prestigious “2023 Scholastic Ambassador Award” by the US Chess Federation (USCF). She is also a two-time recipient of the ‘Call For Kindness (C4K) fellowship’ from Riley’s Way Foundation in 2023 and 2024. Beyond Chess & community-building activities, she was recognized as Missouri Scholars 100 Class of 2023. Chess Cardinals have been featured on local KMOV Channel 4. and West News Magazine. Currently pursuing a pre-med track at the University of Notre Dame, Gaaya continues to champion chess by organizing tournaments and empowering young minds (read more).