What is tgcep & WHY CHOOSE CHESS:

The Girls’ Chess Empowerment Project (TGCEP) inspires and empowers girls from the age of four to learn chess. Chess isn’t just a game - it builds strategic thinking, problem-solving, pattern recognition and resilience. My goal is to create an inclusive community where girls can discover chess in a fun and engaging way, while developing confidence and a love of learning.

Through chess, girls build skills that go far beyond the board: focus, logic, perseverance and self-confidence. These are exactly the kinds of strengths that help them thrive in subjects like maths, economics and finance.

Research by the Royal Economic Society (2025) shows that girls who study economics perform just as well as boys, yet far fewer go on to pursue it. Women remain underrepresented in finance - only 26% of UK academic economists are women, and just 1 in 17 girls choose A-Level Economics compared with 1 in 6 boys. By encouraging girls to play chess from an early age, TGCEP helps open doors to these fields and builds a stronger pathway for future female leaders.

TGCEP also supports the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

Goal 4: Quality Education – by offering inclusive, equitable and engaging learning opportunities.

Goal 5: Gender Equality – by empowering girls through skill-building, confidence and leadership.

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities – by tackling gender based barriers and offering equal access to opportunities regardless of background.