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.
It is believed that chess originated from Chaturanga of ancient India. The All India Chess Federation is the governing body for chess in India.
The highest ranked Indian players are:
As of November 2021, the following is the number of Indian chess players in various segments:
India has produced:
| 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 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1969 | 2748 | Tamil Nadu | 1988 | 11 | |
| 2 | 2006 | 2725 | Tamil Nadu | 2019 | 25 | |
| 3 | 1994 | 2742 | Maharashtra | 2013 | 14 | |
| 4 | 1986 | 2704 | Andhra Pradesh | 2001 | 33 | |
| 5 | Praggnanandhaa R | 2005 | 2743 | Tamil Nadu | 2018 | 13 |
| 6 | 2003 | 2738 | Telangana | 2018 | 17 | |
| 7 | 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 |
The top 10 women Indian chess players are listed below as of November 2013.[3]
The top blind Indian chess players are listed below as of December 2021.[4]
| Player | ELO Rating | Birth year | State | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2124 | 1994 | Bronze medal, World Junior chess Championship for the blind, Serbia, 2013 | |||
| 2 | 2113 | 1992 | 6-time winner at National A championships (Blind) from 2012 to 2019. | |||
| 3 | 1998 | President International Braille Chess Association | ||||
| 4 | 1982 | |||||
| 5 | 1909 | |||||
| 6 | 1861 | 1977 | ||||
| 7 | 1860 | 1966 | ||||
| 8 | 1858 | 2nd place, IBCA Asian Chess Championship for the Visually Challenged 2017 | ||||
| 9 | 1783 | |||||
| 10 | 1733 | 1972 | Founder, Nalanda Chess Academy, Shivamogga. First coach of GM Stany G.A. |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1992 | Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna | Male | ||
| 1961 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 1980–1981 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 1983 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 1984 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 1985 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 1987 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 1987 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 1990 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 2000 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 2002 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 2003 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 2005 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 2006 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 2007 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 2009 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 2010 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 2013 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 2022 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 2022 | Arjuna Award | Male | ||
| 2023 | Arjuna Award | Female | ||
| 2021 | Dhyan Chand Award | Male | ||
| 2006 | Dronacharya Award | Male | ||
| 2023 | Dronacharya Award | Male |