Our Team | Chess Cardinals

Gaaya Binoj

Founder & Visionary

Meet the Founder

Gaaya Binoj

"Chess is more than a game; it's a tool for community building and empowerment."
— Gaaya Binoj

From her roots at Parkway Central High School to her current studies at the University of Notre Dame, Gaaya Binoj has transformed the local chess landscape. As an enthusiastic player who won the 2022 Missouri Girls and 2026 Indiana Women’s Championship titles, and received the 2023 USCF Scholastic Ambassador Award, Gaaya has dedicated her young life to reducing the gender gap in the sport.

Her leadership through Chess Cardinals has been recognized by the Riley’s Way Foundation Call for Kindness (C4K) Fellowship and showcased in major local media, including KMOV Channel 4 and West News Magazine. Gaaya continues to champion chess by organizing tournaments and empowering young minds (read more).

2022 MO Girls Champ

2026 IN Women's Champ

USCF Ambassador

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.