Chess in India
Chess has risen in popularity in India in the last few decades primarily due to chess Grandmaster and former 5-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand.
| Chess in India | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | All India Chess Federation |
It is believed that chess originated from Chaturanga of ancient India. The All India Chess Federation is the governing body for chess in India.
Indian Chess in Numbers
Records / Firsts
- First National Champion: Ramchandra Sapre (1955).
- First Indian International Master: Manuel Aaron (1961).
- First Indian Grandmaster: Viswanathan Anand (1988).
- First Indian Women's Grandmaster: Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi (2001).
- First Indian participation in a Chess Olympiad: 1956, 12th Chess Olympiad at Moscow.
- First Blind Chess Olympiad hosted by India: 2012, 14th Blind Chess Olympiad in Chennai.
- First Indian Asian Senior Chess Champion (65+): Wazeer Ahmad Khan, 6th Asian Seniors at Lar in 2015.
- Youngest Indian Grandmaster: Gukesh D at the age of 12. (2018)
- First Chess Olympiad hosted in India: 2022, 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai
- Maximum number of Indian National Championship wins: 9 by Manuel Aaron.
- Maximum number of Indian National Championship (Women) wins: 6 by Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi.
- Maximum number of Indian National Championship (Blind) wins: 6 by Kishan Gangolli.
- Youngest winner of the Candidates Tournament: Gukesh D at the age of 17 (Candidates Tournament 2024).
World Championships
- Viswanathan Anand, held the FIDE title from 2000 to 2002, and the unified title from 2007 to 2013.
- Gukesh D, scheduled to face defending world champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship 2024.
Highest rated players
The highest ranked Indian players are:
- Gukesh D, ranked 6th in the world as of June 2024 with a rating of 2763
- Arjun Erigaisi, ranked 8th in the world as of June 2024 with a rating of 2761.
- R Praggnanandhaa, ranked 13th in the world as of June 2024 with a rating of 2747.
- Koneru Humpy, ranked 5th in the world (Women's FIDE ratings) as of June 2024 with a rating of 2545.
- Harika Dronavali, ranked 12th in the world (Women's FIDE ratings) as of June 2024 with a rating of 2489.
- Vaishali Rameshbabu, ranked 14th in the world (Women's FIDE ratings) as of June 2024 with a rating of 2489.
World Top Lists
As of November 2021, the following is the number of Indian chess players in various segments:
- World's Top 100: 6
- World's Top 100 Women: 6
- World's Top 100 Juniors (age under 20): 20
- World's Top 100 Girls (age under 20): 12
Medals won by Indian Chess Team
| Competition | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Team Championship | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Olympiad | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Asian Games | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Asian Team Championship | 3 | 11 | 7 | 21 |
| Total | 6 | 12 | 13 | 31 |
Player statistics
Men
The top 10 Indian grandmasters as of January 2024 are listed below. [2] India has 9 players in top 100 FIDE Open rating list in 2023.
Viswanathan Anand is currently No. 9 in the FIDE World Rankings and the former World Champion. Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (born 11 December 1969) is an Indian chess grandmaster and former world chess champion. He became the first grandmaster from India in 1988, and is one of the few players to have surpassed an Elo rating of 2800, a feat he first achieved in 2006.
| # | Player | Birth year | Rating | State | GM Title | World rank[n 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viswanathan Anand | 1969 | 2748 | Tamil Nadu | 1988 | 11 |
| 2 | Gukesh D | 2006 | 2725 | Tamil Nadu | 2019 | 25 |
| 3 | Vidit Gujrathi | 1994 | 2742 | Maharashtra | 2013 | 14 |
| 4 | Pentala Harikrishna | 1986 | 2704 | Andhra Pradesh | 2001 | 33 |
| 5 | Praggnanandhaa R | 2005 | 2743 | Tamil Nadu | 2018 | 13 |
| 6 | Arjun Erigaisi | 2003 | 2738 | Telangana | 2018 | 17 |
| 7 | Nihal Sarin | 2004 | 2693 | Kerala | 2018 | 43 |
| 8 | S. L. Narayanan | 1998 | 2694 | Kerala | 2015 | 42 |
| 9 | Chithambaram Arvindh VR | 1999 | 2662 | Tamil Nadu | 2015 | 72 |
| 10 | Aryan Chopra | 2001 | 2630 | NCT of Delhi | 2017 | 119 |
Women
The top 10 women Indian chess players are listed below as of November 2013.[3]
Blind players
The top blind Indian chess players are listed below as of December 2021.[4]
| # | Player | ELO Rating | Birth year | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darpan Inani | 2124 | 1994 | Gujarat | Bronze medal, World Junior chess Championship for the blind, Serbia, 2013 |
| 2 | Kishan Gangolli | 2113 | 1992 | Karnataka | 6-time winner at National A championships (Blind) from 2012 to 2019. |
| 3 | Charudatta Jadhav | 1998 | Maharashtra | President International Braille Chess Association | |
| 4 | Kaustubh Khare | 1982 | Maharashtra | ||
| 5 | Aryan B Joshi | 1909 | Maharashtra | ||
| 6 | Oza Rajesh | 1861 | 1977 | Maharashtra | |
| 7 | Shah Swapanil | 1860 | 1966 | Karnataka | |
| 8 | Makhwana Ashwin K | 1858 | Maharashtra | 2nd place, IBCA Asian Chess Championship for the Visually Challenged 2017 | |
| 9 | Patra Subhendu Kumar | 1783 | Odisha | ||
| 10 | Krishna Udupa | 1733 | 1972 | Karnataka | Founder, Nalanda Chess Academy, Shivamogga. First coach of GM Stany G.A. |
Notes
- Active players only
See also
References
- "Pranav becomes India's 75nd Grand Master". The Times of India. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- "Federations Ranking: India". ratings.fide.com. World Chess Federation (FIDE). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- "Federations Ranking: India, Women". World Chess Federation (FIDE). Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- "AICFB". Retrieved 24 November 2013.