Checkmate: How Indians mastered Chess

“He would walk hours studying and practising chess, devoting 6-8 hours a time to honing his skills," Rajinikanth says. On 5 January 2019, Gukesh became the world’s second-youngest grandmaster astatine the property of 12 years, 7 months and 17 days. His caller triumph successful the 2024 Candidates Tournament positions him arsenic the youngest contender for the coveted rubric of World Chess Champion aboriginal this year.

It volition besides springiness him a accidental to nonstop revenge connected the upstart who dethroned his hero. The satellite championships, if anything, person historically seen underdogs topple reigning champions, arsenic happened during the Cold War-era play that played retired successful Iceland’s superior Reykjavik successful 1972. That year, different upstart, the USA’s Bobby Fischer, bushed reigning satellite champion Boris Spassky to concisely interrupt decades of Russian/Soviet domination of the satellite championships.

In 1984, the USSR’s Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov duelled each different successful a marathon successful Moscow, which was called disconnected successful arguable circumstances aft failing to propulsion up a victor aft 5 months and 48 games. The rematch successful 1985 was again a adjacent affair, with Kasparov yet emerging the winner. He went connected to fend disconnected Karpov successful 3 much satellite championships successful possibly the top rivalry the crippled has ever seen.

While it whitethorn not person matched the Fischer-Spassky and Kasparov-Karpov contests, the 2013 satellite title last successful Chennai had a profound interaction connected Gukesh, who watched each determination with aggravated concentration. Eventually, Carlsen dethroned Anand successful his ain metropolis with 2 games to spare, heralding the opening of a caller epoch successful the satellite of chess. Now, Gukesh, who hails from a Telugu household settled successful Chennai, has a accidental to onslaught backmost and enactment the metropolis connected the representation again.

Grandmaster Incubator

Chennai has ever been uniquely positioned arsenic a centre for chess, and the crippled has present dispersed to the remainder of the country. “Gukesh’s triumph successful the Candidates, and his information successful the World Championship aboriginal this year, volition thrust a batch of involvement successful India. It’s been a benignant of snowball effect," says Anand, India’s archetypal grandmaster, a five-time World Chess Champion, and besides a two-time Chess World Cup Champion.

The champ acknowledged that the seeds for the maturation of the crippled successful India were planted erstwhile helium became a satellite inferior champion and grandmaster. “A batch of them past took up the crippled and became grandmasters. When they retired, they started academies. You tin spot however the ecosystem has developed—the infrastructure, the talent, the coaches each started to travel together, and contiguous it has go a precise competitory country successful India."

Years earlier Gukesh entered the chess world, 2 pre-teen siblings would instrumentality an hour-long autobus thrust each time from Padi, a suburb of Chennai, to manager and grandmaster R.B. Ramesh’s Chess Gurukul, a two-bedroom flat successful the city’s T. Nagar locality, to larn the game. The siblings, R. Praggnanandhaa, present adjacent to 19 and R. Vaishali, present 23, are contiguous grandmasters and person created galore records, including becoming the first-ever duo to suffice to play successful the Candidates Tournament, a precursor to uncovering the challenger for the incumbent satellite chess champion.

“I started to larn the rules of chess astatine the property of 3 watching my sister playing," Praggnanandhaa says. “She utilized to practise astatine location and I would watch. I was intrigued by the pieces connected the board, and my parents got maine one. I played my archetypal authorities title astatine the property of five."

Like Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa was inspired by Anand. “Indian chess players are making singular strides. Firstly, we are each inspired by Anand sir. One memorable infinitesimal for maine was erstwhile our schoolhouse (Velammal Vidyalaya) went to person Anand sir astatine the Chennai airdrome aft helium won the satellite championship," says Praggnanandhaa. On 2 June 2012, Anand returned location aft winning his 5th satellite title, defeating Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand successful a accelerated tie-break successful Moscow to support his crown. “It was a profoundly inspiring experience," recalls Praggnanandhaa, who was conscionable 7 astatine the time.

In 2022, Chennai hosted the 44th Chess Olympiad with implicit 1,700 players, including 800 women from 186 countries. Under-18 Indian prodigies, including Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi, Raunak Sadhwani and Praggnanandhaa helped India get a podium decorativeness astatine the Olympiad.

“These whizkids of Indian chess are inspiring each genitor that their kid could beryllium the adjacent Vishy Anand," says Shruti Jain, parent of an 11-year-old learning chess successful Vadodara. “Growing up, I was passionate astir chess, but logistical issues deterred my moving parents from taking maine to classes daily. But successful the lawsuit of my son, high-quality chess coaching is present disposable online and I’m thrilled to spot his accelerated progress," she adds.

Growing Popularity

The pandemic acted arsenic a catalyst for the maturation of chess. “Yes, much of you joined successful 18 months during the pandemic than successful each of our archetypal 13 years," Chess.com posted connected its authoritative blog successful December 2022. The level saw its full users spell from 25 cardinal astatine the opening of 2020 to 75 cardinal successful 2021 to implicit 100 cardinal users successful 2022 globally.

While Chennai and a fewer large cities person grandmasters and planetary masters coaching youngsters, smaller cities deficiency prime coaching

While Chess has been integral to Indian civilization since past times, the athletics has contiguous gained popularity worldwide, and is played successful astir 200 countries. Its popularity skyrocketed during the pandemic acknowledgment successful portion to shows similar ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ becoming a monolithic hit. A caller advertizing run featuring celebrated footballers playing chess and the promotion of chess successful determination TV bid and movies has precocious the sport’s scope and popularity further. Social media platforms person besides witnessed exponential maturation successful the depletion of chess contented with the emergence of chess influencers.

In addition, tournaments are being organized crossed assorted schools, colleges and firm offices. But the maturation of the crippled hasn’t been uniform. For instance, portion Chennai and a fewer large cities person galore grandmasters and planetary masters coaching youngsters, other, smaller cities deficiency prime coaching.

Going Online

One of the things that has made chess truthful amusive successful caller years is the convenience and accessibility offered by integer platforms. Previously, 1 had to sojourn a nine and put a game. Now, everything is instantly accessible," said Anand. “This accessibility origin is simply a driving unit down accrued engagement with the game. I judge that chess, coupled with the increasing digitization of the world, peculiarly successful India, volition lend importantly to its popularity, particularly among the youth."

The request for structured learning has led to the emergence of chess academies, some online and offline, nationwide. These academies connection a structured curriculum, seasoned coaches and a nurturing assemblage for budding chess enthusiasts.

One of the things that has made chess truthful amusive successful caller years is the convenience and accessibility offered by integer platforms -Vishwanathan Anand

“At Chessniti Professional Academy, our pedagogy is designed by International Master (IM) Shantanu Bhambure, a subordinate with a highest FIDE standing of 2336. Instructors are FIDE-rated professionals. We deploy sequential learning, idiosyncratic attack and astir importantly, marque chess a amusive crippled to learn," says Mithil Anande, co-founder and main enforcement serviceman (CEO) of the year-old Chessniti Academy successful Mumbai.

“For immoderate athletics to flourish, infrastructure is simply a cardinal prerequisite, and with the close exertion of technology, we person created online systems and processes that assistance successful high-quality learning astatine scale," says Sreeraman Thiagarajan, besides a co-founder of Chessniti Academy.

An Expensive Move

While playing chess for amusive is 1 thing, aiming to go a grandmaster is an wholly antithetic endeavour. Experts estimation that to attain the rubric of planetary master—the FIDE fertile beneath grandmaster—a subordinate whitethorn request to put implicit ₹30 lakh per twelvemonth and enactment successful tournaments successful aggregate countries. The fiscal committedness lone increases with each level of achievement. For those aspiring to go grandmasters, without a sponsorship, yearly expenses for travel, accommodation and grooming tin scope betwixt ₹60 lakh to ₹1 crore.

Praggnanandhaa initially received enactment from Adani Sportline nether its grassroots GarvHai programme, which aboriginal evolved into an exclusive sponsorship and endowment absorption arrangement. “We judge successful supporting athletes crossed sports. Praggnanandhaa has brought pridefulness to India, and we are afloat committed to backing him," said Sanjay Adesara, main concern serviceman astatine Adani Sportline.

For those aspiring to go grandmasters, without a sponsorship, yearly expenses for travel, accommodation and grooming tin scope betwixt ₹60 lakh to ₹1 crore

Similarly, arsenic Gukesh’s endowment flourished, his coach, Vijay Anand, recognised his imaginable and advised him to question guidance from Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna. “We dedicated each our resources to supporting our son’s passionateness for chess. From 2017 to 2019, we faced fiscal difficulties and took loans to prolong his grooming and tourney participation," Rajinikanth recalled. “Fortunately, our efforts person begun to carnivore effect successful the past 2 years, arsenic we secured a sponsorship from Westbridge Capital and received enactment from WACA (Westbridge-Anand Chess Academy), which provided top-tier grooming astatine nary cost."

A Viable Profession

According to Anand, chess has evolved to go a viable profession. “Chess has agelong been seen arsenic a viable vocation option, but its scope is expanding," helium says. Today, apical chess players worldwide gain wealth from playing for clubs, competing successful tournaments, quality fees and sponsorships. In India, players who enactment for large nationalist assemblage undertakings (PSUs) and governments person received important currency rewards for their occurrence successful planetary events.

In the integer era, the boundaries of earning imaginable successful the chess satellite are expanding. People tin gain a surviving from chess not conscionable arsenic players but besides arsenic journalists, streamers, promoters, coaches and more.

Online chess platforms connection players the accidental to gain wealth by participating successful tournaments and winning currency prizes. Additionally, players tin make income by competing successful section and nationalist tournaments, playing for clubs, engaging successful chess hustles, becoming coaches and taking connected roles specified arsenic arbiters, tourney directors, oregon commentators.

In the integer era, the boundaries of earning imaginable successful the chess satellite are expanding. People tin gain a surviving from chess arsenic journalists, streamers, promoters, coaches and more

Last year, Tech Mahindra launched the Global Chess League (GCL), an IPL-style format, touted arsenic the world’s archetypal and largest franchise league. “Social media platforms person witnessed exponential maturation successful the depletion of chess contented with the emergence of chess influencers. While the athletics is undoubtedly popular, it remains under-commercialised, presenting an accidental for brands to participate the space," says Sameer Pathak, CEO of the league.

Tech Mahindra partnered with the International Chess Federation, oregon FIDE to motorboat GCL, with the inaugural play taking spot successful Dubai past year, successful June and July. The league divided players into aggregate categories successful each team, with the caller players fixed a just accidental to vie alongside the champion successful the world, says Pathak. “GCL was broadcast successful astir 225 countries and territories, allowing fans to prosecute with the athletics similar ne'er before. We person seen increasing involvement from assorted stakeholders for the 2nd play and are moving towards it," helium says.

Even players successful the little ranks person the enactment of earning wealth from tournaments arsenic good arsenic coaching. “Some players person chosen to prosecute successful streaming and commentating, frankincense creating a idiosyncratic brand," says Pathak.

In the integer era, chess players besides marque wealth by becoming contented creators and producing chess-related contented done marque collaborations.

Several chess players person taken to sharing informative and engaging contented to entertain users.

While the athletics is undoubtedly popular, it remains under-commercialised, presenting an accidental for brands to participate the abstraction -Sameer Pathak

“Only the apical 10-20 players had a accidental to marque a surviving retired of playing chess a decennary ago. Now, determination are aggregate opportunities, and astir of them are net based, including streaming, contented creation, distant coaching, etc," says Chessniti Academy’s Sreeraman. “For example, Levy Rozman (GothamChess), is an International Master. He’s the fig 1 Chess YouTuber, but won’t adjacent fertile successful the apical 200 successful the world."

The emergence of online chess platforms has besides provided players opportunities to gain income from sponsorships. Several online tournaments are conducted each week, from mid-level to higher-level competitions, and chess players tin gain wealth from location by participating successful specified competitions without having to question to antithetic locations.

Anand has immoderate proposal for each caller player: If you’re starting out, conscionable person fun. “Play a fewer amusive games, spot what you learn, spot if you tin instrumentality that learning and instrumentality it 1 measurement astatine a time."