Chess in India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chess in India

Chess has a deep-rooted history in India, widely believed to have originated from the game of chaturanga during the Gupta Empire in circa 6th century CE. Over centuries, it evolved and spread across the world, influencing modern chess as we know it today.[1]

Thumb
Stamp depicting the 44th Chess Olympiad, the first hosted by India, in Chennai.

In the contemporary era, India has emerged as a major chess power, excelling in international tournaments and the country currently has the second best federation in the world with a 2721 top-ten rating.[2] The country holds multiple Chess Olympiad victories in both the men's and women's sections[3] and has crowned two World Chess Champions: Viswanathan Anand, a five-time champion who revolutionized Indian chess, and Gukesh D, the current reigning champion.[4]

The rise of chess in modern India is often credited to Anand, whose dominance from the late 1990s to the early 2010s inspired a generation of players. His success, coupled with the growth of digital platforms and widespread grassroots training programs, has fueled a chess boom, making India one of the leading nations in the sport. The country now has a robust chess ecosystem, supported by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and a network of state associations, academies, and online communities.[4][5]

Early history

Thumb
Hindu deity Krishna and Radha playing chaturanga, which laid the foundation for modern chess

Chess originated in India with its earliest known form, chaturanga, dating back roughly 1,500 years to the 6th century, during the Gupta Empire. Chaturanga is considered the earliest precursor to modern chess because it had key features that would appear in later variations: different pieces possessing different powers and victory depending on the fate of one piece, the king.[1][6]

As trade and cultural exchanges flourished along the Silk Road, Chaturanga spread to Persia, where it evolved into Shatranj. The game underwent further refinements in the Islamic world and medieval Europe, ultimately transforming into the modern chess we recognize today.[1][6]

Modern history

Summarize
Perspective

Modern chess in India began officially with the formation of All India Chess Federation in 1951. This was soon followed by the first Indian Chess Championship, held in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh. In 1956, India made its debut at the 12th Chess Olympiad in Moscow.[4] Then, Manuel Aaron achieved the feat as the first Indian to become an International Master, in 1961.

In 1977, Rohini Khadilkar became the first female player to compete in the Indian Chess Championship. Some players objected to her being in the tournament because she was female. Her father wrote to the World Chess Federation president, Max Euwe, and Euwe ruled that female players could not be barred from open chess events.[7]

Thumb
Former World Champion Vishwanathan Anand is credited with popularizing chess in modern India.

In 1988, 19-year old Viswanathan Anand of Chennai became India's first Grandmaster. He then embarked on a journey to become the first Indian to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, win the Candidates in 1995, 1998 and then finally become the World Champion in 2000 by beating Spain's Alexei Shirov. He would go on to defend the title for more than a decade, until he lost the Championship to Magnus Carlsen in 2013. In 1997, the All India Chess Federation for the Blind was formed with the intention of promoting chess amongst the country's visually impaired people.[4]

Subbaraman Vijayalaksmi became the country's first Woman International Master in 1996. She then became India's first Woman Grandmaster in 2001. Soon, in 2002 Koneru Humpy became the youngest female player ever, and the first Indian female player, to achieve the title of Grandmaster, aged 15 years, 1 month, 27 days, a record only since surpassed by Hou Yifan.[8][9] India's first Chess Olympiad medal was a bronze in 2014. In 2022, India won bronze medals in the Open and Women category in the first Chess Olympiad hosted by India at Chennai. The nation's first Olympiad gold was then clenched in both categories at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest.[4][10]

In 2024, Gukesh D made history by becoming the youngest player to win the Candidates Tournament, subsequently clinching the World Chess Championship title with a narrow one-point victory over Ding Liren.[11]

As of December 2024, India boasts 85 chess grandmasters, with 13 ranked among the world's top 100 players. The country has over 30,000 rated players actively participating in officially sanctioned tournaments nationwide. This robust participation has solidified India's status as a chess superpower, with its top 10 players achieving an average Elo rating of 2721, ranking second globally.[12][13][14]

Current rankings

Summarize
Perspective

Open

As per FIDE's October 2024 rankings.[15]

More information #, Title ...
# Title Player World Rank Rating Age
1 GM Arjun Erigaisi 4 2801 21 years, 223 days
2 GM Gukesh Dommaraju 5 2777 18 years, 320 days
3 GM Viswanathan Anand 10 2750 55 years, 124 days
4 GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu 14 2741 19 years, 247 days
6 GM Aravindh Chithambaram 21 2729 25 years, 215 days
6 GM Vidit Gujrathi 25 2721 30 years, 172 days
7 GM Pentala Harikrishna 36 2695 38 years, 339 days
8 GM Nihal Sarin 44 2687 20 years, 275 days
9 GM Raunak Sadhwani 56 2666 19 years, 113 days
10 GM Karthikeyan Murali 78 2651 27 years, 94 days
Close

Women

As per FIDE's October 2024 rankings.[16]

More information #, Title ...
# Title Player World Rank Rating Age
1 GM Koneru Humpy 6 2530 38 years, 14 days
2 IM Divya Deshmukh 11 2501 19 years, 126 days
3 GM Harika Dronavalli 13 2493 34 years, 92 days
4 GM Vaishali Rameshbabu 15 2487 23 years, 297 days
5 IM Tania Sachdev 54 2396 38 years, 237 days
6 IM Vantika Agrawal 58 2392 22 years, 198 days
7 Sarayu Velpula 76 2370 19 years, 103 days
8 IM Bhakti Kulkarni 82 2363 32 years, 330 days
9 WGM Savitha Shri Baskar 99 2348 18 years, 79 days
10 IM Padmini Rout 100+ 2328 31 years, 99 days
Close

National and international records

Medal table

Summary - Team

More information Tournament, Team ...
TournamentTeamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Olympiad M 1 0 2 3
F 1 0 1 2
X 1 0 1 2
World Team Championship M 0 0 1 1
F 0 1 0 1
Asian Games M 0 1 1 2
F 0 1 0 1
X 1 0 0 1
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games M 0 0 3 3
F 0 0 1 1
X 1 2 2 5
Asian Team Championship M 3 6 4 13
F 0 5 3 8
World Mind Sports Games X 0 1 0 1
Total 8 17 19 44
Close

Summary - Individual

More information Tournament, Gender ...
TournamentGenderGoldSilverBronzeTotal
World Championship M 5 5 0 10
F 0 1 6 7
World Rapid
World Blitz
M 2 2 2 6
F 1 2 2 5
World Cup M 2 1 0 3
F 0 0 0 0
Olympiad M 4 4 1 9
F 3 3 4 10
Asian Games M 0 0 0 0
F 1 0 1 2
World Team Championship M 3 0 4 7
F 2 5 4 11
Asian Team Championship M 20 15 14 49
F 6 17 10 33
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games M 2 0 2 4
F 2 0 2 4
Total 53 55 46 154
Close
  • Updated till September 2024

Olympiad

Open

Open Individual

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women

Women Individual

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Online

World Championship

Open

Women

More information Year, Player ...
Year Player Result Score
2004 Koneru Humpy Bronze Semifinalist
2008 Koneru Humpy Bronze Semifinalist
2010 Koneru Humpy Bronze Semifinalist
2011 Koneru Humpy Silver 2.5
2012 Harika Dronavalli Bronze Semifinalist
2015 Harika Dronavalli Bronze Semifinalist
2017 Harika Dronavalli Bronze Semifinalist
Close

World Rapid and Blitz Championships

Open

Rapid
More information Medal, Event ...
Close
Blitz
More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women

Rapid
Blitz
More information Medal, Event ...
Medal Event Player
Silver 2022 Almaty Koneru Humpy
Close

World Team Championship

Open

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women

More information Medal, Event ...
Close
More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Asian Team Championship

Open

More information Medal, Event ...
Medal Event Player Category
Silver 1977 Auckland Nasiruddin Ghalib Board 6
Bronze 1981 Hangzhou Manuel Aaron Board 1
Gold Tiruchi Natesan Parameswaran Board 2
Bronze 1983 New Delhi Dibyendu Barua Board 1
Gold Pravin Thipsay Board 2
Silver 1986 Dubai Ahanthem Meetei Board 3
Gold Viswanathan Anand Board 4
Silver Devaki Prasad Board 5
Gold 1987 Singapore Devaki Prasad Board 5
Gold 1989 Genting Highlands Viswanathan Anand Board 1
Bronze Dibyendu Barua Board 5
Gold N. Sudhakar Babu Board 6
Bronze 1991 Penang P. D. S. Girinath Board 1
Bronze 1993 Kuala Lumpur Jayant Suresh Gokhale Board 6
Bronze 1999 Shenyang Abhijit Kunte Board 3
Gold G. B. Prakash Board 5
Bronze 2003 Jodhpur Sasikiran Krishnan Board 1
Gold Pravin Thipsay Board 2
Gold Lanka Ravi Board 3
Silver Dinesh Kumar Sharma Board 4
Silver Abhijit Kunte Board 5
Silver 2005 Esfahan Sasikiran Krishnan Board 1
Bronze Abhijit Kunte Board 2
Gold Surya Shekhar Ganguly Board 3
Silver Sundararajan Kidambi Board 4
Silver Sandipan Chanda Board 5
Silver 2008 Visakhapatnam Sasikiran Krishnan Board 1
Silver Surya Shekhar Ganguly Board 2
Bronze Abhijit Kunte Board 3
Gold Geetha Narayanan Gopal Board 4
Silver Abhijeet Gupta Board 5
Bronze 2009 Kolkata Pentala Harikrishna Board 1
Gold Sasikiran Krishnan Board 2
Gold Surya Shekhar Ganguly Board 3
Gold Parimarjan Negi Board 4
Bronze J. Deepan Chakkravarthy Board 5
Gold 2012 Zaozhuang Parimarjan Negi Board 3
Gold Abhijeet Gupta Board 3
Gold 2014 Tabriz Sasikiran Krishnan Board 3
Silver Parimarjan Negi Board 4
Bronze Musunuri Rohit Lalit Babu Board 5
Silver 2016 Abu Dhabi Adhiban Baskaran Board 1
Bronze S. P. Sethuraman Board 2
Gold Vidit Gujrathi Board 3
Silver Sasikiran Krishnan Board 4
Silver 2018 Hamadan Adhiban Baskaran Board 1
Gold S. P. Sethuraman Board 2
Gold Sasikiran Krishnan Board 3
Bronze Abhijeet Gupta Board 5
Close

Women

More information Medal, Event ...
Medal Event Player Category
Silver 1999 Shenyang Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi Board 2
Silver Swati Ghate Board 3
Silver Shahnaz Safira Board 4
Bronze 2003 Jodhpur Subbaraman Meenakshi Board 1
Silver Swati Ghate Board 2
Silver Anupama Gokhale Board 3
Gold Harika Dronavalli Board 4
Bronze Sai Meera Ravi Board 4
Silver 2005 Esfahan Nisha Mohota Board 1
Silver Mary Ann Gomes Board 2
Gold Swati Ghate Board 3
Silver 2008 Visakhapatnam Harika Dronavalli Board 1
Silver Nisha Mohota Board 2
Silver Tania Sachdev Board 3
Gold Aarthie Ramaswamy Board 4
Bronze Tejaswi Kanuri Board 4
Gold 2009 Kolkata Harika Dronavalli Board 1
Silver Tania Sachdev Board 3
Bronze Padmini Rout Board 3
Bronze Bhakti Kulkarni Board 4
Silver Kruttika Nadig Board 5
Bronze 2012 Zaozhuang Tania Sachdev Board 3
Silver Padmini Rout Board 5
Gold 2014 Tabriz Harika Dronavalli Board 1
Silver Tania Sachdev Board 2
Bronze Mary Ann Gomes Board 4
Silver Padmini Rout Board 5
Silver 2016 Abu Dhabi Harika Dronavalli Board 2
Gold Soumya Swaminathan Board 4
Silver 2018 Hamadan Harika Dronavalli Board 1
Bronze Eesha Karavade Board 3
Bronze Padmini Rout Board 4
Bronze Aakanksha Hagawane Board 5
Close

World Cup

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Asian Games

Men's team standard

Women's team standard

Mixed team standard

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women's individual rapid

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

Men's individual standard

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women's individual standard

More information Medal, Event ...
Medal Event Team
Bronze 2007 Macau Harika Dronavalli
Close

Mixed team standard

Men's individual rapid

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Men's team rapid U-23

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women's individual rapid

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women's team rapid

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Mixed team rapid

Men's individual blitz

More information Medal, Event ...
Medal Event Team
Gold 2007 Macau Sasikiran Krishnan
Close

Men's team blitz

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Men's team blitz U-23

More information Medal, Event ...
Close

Women's individual blitz

More information Medal, Event ...
Medal Event Team
Gold 2007 Macau Koneru Humpy
Close

Mixed team blitz

National award recipients

More information Year, Recipient ...
Year Recipient Award Gender
1991–1992 Viswanathan Anand Khel Ratna AwardMale
1961 Manuel Aaron Arjuna AwardMale
1980–1981 Rohini Khadilkar Arjuna AwardFemale
1983 Dibyendu Barua Arjuna AwardMale
1984 Pravin Thipsay Arjuna AwardMale
1985 Viswanathan Anand Arjuna AwardMale
1987 Devaki Prasad Arjuna AwardMale
1987 Bhagyashree Thipsay Arjuna AwardFemale
1990 Anupama Gokhale Arjuna AwardFemale
2000 Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi Arjuna AwardFemale
2002 Krishnan Sasikiran Arjuna AwardMale
2003 Koneru Humpy Arjuna AwardFemale
2005 Surya Shekhar Ganguly Arjuna AwardMale
2006 Pentala Harikrishna Arjuna AwardMale
2007 Harika Dronavalli Arjuna AwardFemale
2009 Tania Sachdev Arjuna AwardFemale
2010 Parimarjan Negi Arjuna AwardMale
2013 Abhijeet Gupta Arjuna AwardMale
2022 Bhakti Kulkarni Arjuna AwardFemale
2022 R Praggnanandhaa Arjuna AwardMale
2023 R Vaishali Arjuna AwardFemale
2021 Abhijit Kunte Dhyan Chand AwardMale
2006 Koneru Ashok Dronacharya AwardMale
2023 RB Ramesh Dronacharya AwardMale
Close

See also

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.