Some moments in chess are quiet but powerful. The board looks calm. Nothing dramatic appears to be happening. Yet one thoughtful move can shift the entire structure of the game. Look at the position below.
Black is up by two points, and on the surface, the position appears stable. It’s White to move. There is no obvious check, no flashy capture, nothing that announces itself as a game-changer. But there is a subtle move - one that quietly turns the board around.
Vidya Surti’s defining move began in a place like that. It began with chronic pain, the kind that remains unseen by others yet reshapes every part of your life.
“For years, I struggled to make sense of my experience and the way it separated me from my peers.”
That separation did more than create distance. It revealed how many young people with invisible disabilities face the same barriers to belonging, understanding, and access.
What could have felt like a limitation instead became the opening that shaped her purpose.
Her first major turning point came in college, when she was appointed to her first national board. She entered a room of seasoned leaders feeling “both proud and intimidated,” yet she carried the responsibility of representing students whose needs were often overlooked. That experience pushed her to think beyond herself.
As she put it, “My perspective shifted from focusing on individual advocacy to building systems that make inclusion possible for everyone.”
This is where the heart of Vidya’s growth mirrors the position above: the quiet move. The move that doesn’t deliver a check or win material, but sets the stage for an unavoidable shift later. It is the moment you stop playing only for your own position and start seeing the entire board.
Vidya began recognizing patterns that extended far beyond her personal experience. She learned to listen deeply, to understand what people were truly asking for, and to transform individual stories into collective advocacy. She discovered that representation is less about speaking loudly and more about ensuring others feel seen.
That shift - quiet, intentional, and steady - became the cornerstone of her leadership.
It guides the way she works today across research, governance, and community partnership. Whether she is conducting scientific work at Duquesne University’s Nanomedicine Manufacturing Lab, collaborating through Queens Gambit, or serving on the City-County Task Force on Disabilities, she leads with the belief that representation should “create access and opportunity for others.”
Her advocacy is rooted in a simple truth: visibility alone is not enough. Real inclusion requires structure, persistence, and empathy.
“Being seen, heard, and included in decision-making processes can transform both individual lives and entire communities.”
In chess, we teach players to notice the quieter moves - the ones that don’t command attention but expand the possibilities on the board. Vidya’s journey is filled with those moves. Each one made with intention. Each one widening the path for people with invisible disabilities who deserve not only a seat at the table, but the chance to shape the system itself.
Her story reminds us that the moves that matter most rarely begin from strength. More often, they begin with struggle - transformed through purpose. And when someone chooses to turn their lived experience into a blueprint for change, they shift the entire board for everyone who follows.
Puzzle Solution:
Ne6, fxe6
Qxe6+