At 29, Yudhajeet De has already lived a life shaped by quiet resilience and extraordinary vision — despite being born without sight.

From a modest home in Uttarpara, Hooghly, the visually impaired chess player who first learnt the game at six under his mother’s gentle guidance is now set to stand on the nation’s most prestigious stage.

On Wednesday, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, President Droupadi Murmu will confer on him the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities 2025 under the Shresth Divyangjan category — an honour recognising not just his mastery over 64 squares, but his steadfast commitment to empowering others through the game he loves.

“When we first got the call from the President’s office, we couldn’t believe it. They told us to check the official website, and I asked Yudhajeet’s father to recheck it,” said Ruma De, Yudhajeet’s mother.

Yudhajeet has already earned a place in the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education’s Class XI textbook Bangla Bhasa O Sanskriti, which acknowledges his contribution to the game.

“I just love the game. Now I am concentrating more on coaching young players and popularising the game, mainly among the boys and girls with disabilities,” said Yudhajeet, whose FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs) rating is 1810.

The rating provided by the World Chess Federation denotes a player’s individual skill level. Viswanathan Anand, for instance, enjoys a FIDE standard rating of 2743 at present.

Yudhajeet grew up learning to perceive the world differently — through sound, touch, discipline and imagination. His mother was the first to sense where his potential lay. “I wanted him to engage in an indoor sport, and I decided chess was the best option,” she said. “I thought he could excel in it as it’s more of a brain game.”

And chess wasn’t the only thing he embraced. Encouraged by his father, Arup Kumar De, he trained under musician Kalikinkar Chakraborty and completed an eight-year sitar course with distinction. He received the Best Creative Child award from the Bengal governor in 2011.

Yudhajeet’s first competitive chess event was an all-Bengal tournament for the visually impaired in 2008.

“It was held at St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, and I won the runner-up trophy. The taste of success in my first tournament gave me a huge boost and made me dream,” he said.

In 2012, he came third in the junior open national chess meet for the visually impaired and, in 2014, he found a place among the top 10 in the national A championship. Then there was no looking back.

On July 27 this year, Yudhajeet did something unprecedented. He independently organised a chess tournament for sighted players — a task seemingly daunting even for organisers without disability. The event drew 70 participants, including 10 FIDE-rated players.

Yudhajeet now coaches more than 70 players from across India — both sighted and visually impaired — with many taking lessons online. He is presently associated with the Bally Chess Academy, where he trains around 25 young sighted players.

Mahesh Nhabdi, 35, of Maharashtra, one of Yudhajeet’s visually impaired students who takes online lessons from him, described him as his “guiding star”.

“He has inspired me a lot. I like the way he teaches me — the tactics he uses. He taught me so many opening moves. I have been taking coaching from him for one and a half years and, thanks to him, I improved my FIDE ratings in the west zone championship last year by more than 50 points and secured a place in the national championship. Right now, my rating is 1495,” Mahesh said.