How a physiotherapist and chess player from Malaga built an online school in under two years with more than 100 students across two continents — and why therapeutic chess changed everything.
Alberto Toval (Malaga, 2000) started playing chess at 10, when his PE teacher signed him up for a tournament without any warning. The night before, he read an old chess book. The next day, he won. An obsession was born.
He kept competing for years — winning the International Open for New Generations in 2014 — while studying Physiotherapy. In the care homes and associations where he did his placements, he noticed something troubling: there was yoga, pilates, all kinds of physical activity, but almost no quality cognitive stimulation. The mental decline of patients with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or multiple sclerosis continued unchecked, with no concrete tools to slow it down.
The answer he found was chess. Not competitive chess — chess as a non-pharmacological therapy. "There are two types of chess: competitive and therapeutic. I set out to reach the second kind of person," he would later explain.
In September 2024, freshly graduated, he founded Chesscul.
"At Chesscul we feel committed to making chess accessible to everyone. We work every day to offer the best possible service to our students, and that's what I ask of the whole team."
Quality chess shouldn't be reserved for those who live near an academy. Chesscul removes that barrier.
Small groups, teachers with real credentials and a structured method — not improvised. Accessibility cannot compromise quality.
Chess has a potential that goes beyond the board — cognitive, social, therapeutic. Chesscul actively explores it.
Alberto Toval founds Chesscul in Malaga, freshly graduated in Physiotherapy. From day one, two parallel lines of work: online classes for all levels, and therapeutic chess workshops at Malaga's Alzheimer's and Parkinson's associations. Carmen María López joins the team from the start. Prior experience on Calle Larios — where Alberto collaborated with the social chess initiative in central Malaga — had confirmed that the chessboard could build community and wellbeing beyond competition.
Chesscul organises the first chess tournament between Parkinson's and Alzheimer's associations across all of Malaga. "The most remarkable thing was that we managed to keep the participants focused for two hours — completely silent, absorbed in their games. That was something truly extraordinary," Alberto would recall.
Antena 3, COPE, Onda Cero, El Mundo, Marca, 20 Minutos, El Español and more than 200 outlets publish about Chesscul and Alberto's work with therapeutic chess. The project transcends Malaga and becomes a national reference in the use of chess as a health tool.
With group numbers growing, Luis Troughton joins as intermediate-level specialist. In summer 2025, Chesscul launches its first intensive summer camp — four days a week through July and August — which fills up before it starts. Students from Latin America begin to represent a significant share of the total.
Exactly one year after founding the school, Chesscul launches its specialist online chess store: wooden boards, collector pieces, clocks and technical books. The brand consolidates itself as a comprehensive chess reference in the Spanish-speaking world.
Chesscul surpasses 100 active students with a 4.9★ out of 5 rating on Google. The second summer camp edition is being prepared with two groups differentiated by level. The goal remains the same as September 2024: that every person who learns chess with Chesscul improves in a real, measurable way.
Chesscul's growth has been built on word of mouth from satisfied students, editorial coverage from more than 200 media outlets, and a genuinely different proposition: a school that treats chess as a wellbeing tool, not just a competitive sport.
Chesscul was born with the conviction that chess has a value beyond competition. That's why, alongside online classes, it runs therapeutic programmes for people with cognitive decline — something unusual for an online school.
Alberto Toval's 2000+ FIDE Elo is public in the official FIDE database. The 2014 International Open for New Generations win is documented. The Senior FADA Coach qualification is the highest chess teaching credential in Andalusia.
More than 200 media outlets — Antena 3, COPE, El Mundo, Onda Cero, Marca, El Español — have covered Chesscul's work. This is not paid advertising: it's editorial journalism about the therapeutic and educational project.
Chesscul has never had a minimum commitment period or enrolment fee. More than 100 active students and a 4.9★ rating on Google are the best proof that the model works on its own merits.
More than 100 students are already learning with the Chesscul method. Get started in under 48 hours, with no commitment.
