About Darklight
Darklight Chess Academy is a chess education academy that develops strategic thinking, discipline, confidence and competitive chess skills through structured coaching.
To make world-class chess coaching accessible to everyone, anywhere, in person in Coimbatore and live online worldwide.
To empower chess coaches and take chess to people across the globe.
Structured levels, strong fundamentals and learning from students' own games, with a coach's personal attention.
Our Leadership
The people who started Darklight and run it day to day.
Founder of DLCA cum Coach
A passionate mentor and visionary, Karuppasamy founded Darklight Chess Academy with a bold ambition: to empower chess coaches and spread chess culture globally. His belief in lifelong learning and chess as a tool for personal development drives our academy's core.
“Chess isn't just a game — it's a lifestyle. There's no age limit to learning or mastering it.”
Co-Founder and Head Coach
Manikandan plays a pivotal role in operations and quality control, ensuring that every student and coach gets the guidance they need to succeed.
“The excitement in our students when they share victories — from living rooms to international arenas — is what fuels us every day.”
Our Team
Expert guidance. Personal attention. A stronger chess journey.
Head Coach
“Patience and discipline are at the heart of every good move.”
Head Coach
“Remote training doesn't mean remote results.”
Head Coach
“Vision is not what the eyes see, but what the mind foresees on the board.”
Head Coach
“Every pawn has the power to become a queen — it's the journey that matters.”
How We Teach
Students learn to plan ahead, weigh options and make decisions with a clear purpose.
Rules, tactics, openings and endgames are taught in a clear order, each idea building on the last.
Chess teaches patience, focus and the habit of learning from losses without losing confidence.
Coaches review students' own games and track progress, so each level builds on the one before.
Our Vision
Darklight supports students at every stage. Beginners learn the rules and basic tactics, then move through five structured levels covering strategy, calculation, endgames and openings, until they are ready for rated tournaments with dedicated tournament preparation.
Start Your Chess Journey
“Darklight Chess Academy was a dream for me, and I started it with an aim to empower chess coaches and explore the world of chess with a motive to take chess to all the people across the globe.”
Karuppasamy, Founder
At a Glance
Darklight Chess Academy is a chess academy based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. It teaches live online chess classes to students worldwide and offline classes at two centres in Coimbatore, for children and adults from complete beginner to tournament level.
Methodology
We also run special tracks: school and institutional programmes, holiday camps and offline workshops. Ask about them when you enquire, or read about our live online classes.
Free Demo Class
Book a free demo class, online from anywhere or at our Coimbatore centres.
