While parents around the world debate how much screen time a child should be allowed, children have already made the decision for them — smartphones and tablets have become part of everyday life. Bans rarely work, and control is usually temporary. But what if the screen stopped being a problem and became a tool for development? 

This question marked the beginning of LittleChess — an educational startup from Uzbekistan that teaches children chess while simultaneously developing memory, attention, logic, and problem-solving skills. The project combines game mechanics, early childhood education methodologies, and elements of artificial intelligence, turning learning into an engaging experience that children return to willingly. 

In 2025, at TechCrunch, the LittleChess team presented a product that confidently competes for children’s attention not through entertainment, but through value — a combination that is becoming increasingly rare in the global EdTech market. 

An idea born from everyday frustration 

The idea for LittleChess emerged from a simple observation: children were spending hours in front of screens, while parents increasingly expressed anxiety and helplessness. 

“We realized that simply banning screens was not an option. We needed to transform this time into something useful,” recalls Ulugbek Ismatov. 

Chess turned out to be the perfect tool. On the one hand, it is a centuries-old game proven to develop thinking, concentration, and strategic skills. On the other, chess lends itself well to gamification. The team set a clear goal: to make learning chess feel less like a lesson and more like a game children want to play on their own. 

Through late-night discussions, prototypes, and testing, LittleChess was born — an app that turns “screen time” into “development time.” The concept fully took shape in May 2025. From the initial idea to the development and launch of the first MVP, the process took about two months. 

LittleChess began as a concept for a digital educational product designed to teach children chess. For the technical implementation and MVP launch, the team partnered with the IT company Global Move, which helped develop and release the first working version of the application. 

What makes LittleChess unique 

The educational app market is crowded: some apps teach chess, others entertain children, and many promise to develop “everything at once.” LittleChess chose a different path — combining several strong ideas into one cohesive system. 

First, gameplay comes first. Children perceive LittleChess as a game rather than an educational app. Second, the team introduced a Career Mode — a narrative journey from beginner to confident player, where progress is clear and visible. This is not a collection of disconnected lessons, but a structured path with goals and motivation. Third, the focus goes beyond chess rules to cognitive development: memory, attention, logical thinking, and decision-making speed. 

How the product works: methodology, gamification, and technology 

The educational process in LittleChess is built on a modular structure. Each module includes: 

• a short lesson (3–7 minutes), 

• practice through tasks and mini-games, 

• quick skill assessment. 
  
  

Educational video scripts are developed by professionals from the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, who define the full curriculum and lesson structure. Based on these scripts, the team’s generative AI engineers create video lessons using modern artificial intelligence technologies. 

As a result, the process combines deep professional expertise with efficient content generation tools, enabling the creation of high-quality, accessible, and adaptive educational materials for both children and adults. 

Formats range from interactive explanations to dynamic puzzles, bots with varying difficulty levels, and modes such as Puzzle Rush — timed task sequences. Frequent “small wins” and a reward system create a sense of progress and help maintain children’s attention. 

From a technological perspective, the product uses adaptivity: tasks adjust to the user’s level, while video lessons are supported by AI tools that help quickly generate clear explanations and task variations. 

Safety is a key priority. The app contains no ads, chats, or external links. Personal data collection is minimal, and the interface is designed for children aged 3–10: large buttons, calm animations, and clear instructions. 

Measuring effectiveness: data and real user behavior
 

The team evaluates learning effectiveness not only through feedback, but also through behavioral metrics. They analyze solution speed and accuracy, error dynamics, and engagement with learning modules. 

For example, the team tracks the time spent solving each task and the percentage of correct answers by age group and region. If a specific task type consistently requires significantly more time and results in a high error rate for a certain age group, it is deemed inappropriate for that level. 

Additionally, error dynamics across repeated attempts and engagement metrics — such as the number of tasks completed and total time spent in a module — are analyzed. This allows the team to accurately identify which task types are most effective for specific age categories. 

Parents and teachers report that children become more attentive and solve logical problems faster. These insights help the team understand which modules perform best and where content needs to be simplified or strengthened. 

Market and audience: from Uzbekistan to the United States 

Today, LittleChess targets children under the age of 10. The current user geography is distributed as follows: 

• around 60% — United States, 

• 30% — Uzbekistan, 

• 10% — other countries. 
  
  

The United States is a market where parents actively invest in children’s education and are willing to pay for high-quality learning products. In addition, nearly every household has a smartphone or tablet. Even if a child does not have their own device, parents’ devices are easily used for learning. 

For the team, this meant a clear audience, minimal technical barriers, and the opportunity to quickly test the product in a real environment before scaling to other markets. 

The app is available on iOS and Android and supports Uzbek, Russian, and English. The English-speaking segment is growing particularly fast, already making the US a priority market. 

LittleChess also collaborates with educational organizations, including Wisdom International School in Tashkent, the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, and IT Park Uzbekistan, where the startup is a resident. These partnerships allow the product to be tested in real educational environments and provide structured feedback. 

Cooperation with the Uzbekistan Chess Federation enables the team to work with qualified coaches and experts, as well as to organize offline and online tournaments integrated into the educational process. 

Wisdom International School in Tashkent — one of the city’s largest international schools — became LittleChess’s first B2B client. The partnership allowed the team to test the product in a real educational setting, receive structured feedback, and adapt the platform to institutional needs. 

Resident status at IT Park Uzbekistan provides access to mentorship, investment opportunities, and technological infrastructure, supporting sustainable growth and scalability. 

TechCrunch: the first step onto the global stage 

Participation in TechCrunch became an important growth milestone. During the exhibition, more than 100 people visited the LittleChess booth — from parents and teachers to investors and representatives of major platforms. Many installed the app for their children on the spot, noting that the interface and mechanics were intuitive even for very young users. 

There was also honest feedback: suggestions to strengthen the demo and improve visual presentation. The team considers this feedback especially valuable. 

One of the key moments was a conversation with the CEO of Chess.com, who expressed interest and openness to discussing investment once certain metrics are achieved. In parallel, discussions began about pilot programs with schools in the UAE and Qatar. 

Over time, some partnership initiatives were successfully implemented, others remain under active development, and some negotiations did not lead to the expected outcome. 

This is a natural process for an early-stage startup: not every discussion results in long-term cooperation. However, the experience and feedback received were used to refine metrics, positioning, and approaches to new partners. 

“On the first day, we were talking about $300,000, then $700,000, and by the end we were confidently discussing $1 million in investment. And the clearer we articulated the scale, the more calmly investors responded,” the founders share. 

During this stage, the team held meetings with several investors from Azerbaijan and Georgia, who expressed interest and willingness to consider investment after further product refinement. The team is currently focused on meeting these conditions and preparing for the next round of negotiations. 

The founders realized that startups often underestimate their ambitions out of fear of sounding too bold. The global ecosystem, on the contrary, expects clarity of vision and confidence in growth. 

Competition and positioning 

LittleChess rarely encounters direct competitors. More often, it competes with children’s games and general educational platforms for children’s attention. 

The startup’s key advantage is its systemic approach: career mode, educational logic, game-based motivation, and a focus on cognitive skills. This makes the product valuable for parents, schools, and educational organizations alike. 

What’s next: scaling and new markets 

After returning from the US, the team increased its focus on B2B, English-language content, and international pilots. Partnerships with organizations in the United States are currently in progress and will become the first case studies for market entry. 

Future plans include expansion into Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as the development of offline formats: clubs and demo spaces where children and parents can experience LittleChess in person. 

A key lesson for EdTech startups 

The story of LittleChess is an example of how a local idea can evolve into a global product when it solves a real problem. 

The team advises: 

• start with a minimal product and test it with real children, 

• actively listen to parents and teachers, 

• look beyond B2C and consider schools and organizations, 

• be able to explain the product’s value in 30–60 seconds, 

• don’t be afraid to talk about scale. 
  
  

LittleChess demonstrates that the future of EdTech lies not in endless video lessons, but in products that respect children’s attention and turn learning into a meaningful experience — and these are exactly the solutions the global startup ecosystem is watching closely today.