Indian Chess Timeline: From Discovering The Game To Ruling It

As Praggnanandhaa takes on Carlsen, charting the growth of Indian chess through the years

Updated on: 22 August 2023 11:51 am

Koneru Humpy, formerly the youngest ever women's GM

The Indian flag is flying high in world chess. Here is a timeline of important milestones for the nation in the sport.? ??

Around 600 AD
Chess originates in India, a version of the strategic game Chaturanga. It later evolves into Shatranj in Persia with changes to rules and pieces. Around 1500 CE, the game takes on its present form.

1924?
FIDE, the game’s ruling body, is formed during the first but unofficial chess Olympiad in Paris. Its motto is Gens Una Sumus (‘We are one family’).

1955?
India gets its first National Champion, Ramachandra Sapre.

1956?
India first participates in the Chess Olympiad, held in Moscow. The team members are Ramdas (UP), B P Mhalskar (Sangli), S Venkataraman (Chennai) and R B Sapre (Mumbai).

1961?
Manuel Aaron becomes India’s first International Master. He also holds the record of the maximum number of Indian National Championship wins (nine times).

1980?
Rafique Khan, son of a Bhopal carpenter, becomes India’s first Chess Olympiad medallist, winning the silver medal.

1987?
Viswanathan Anand becomes the first Indian to win the World Junior Chess Championship.?

1988?
Anand becomes the first Indian Grandmaster (GM) and is a household name by now. By 18, he has won the Padma Shri.

1995?
Anand plays World Championship final on top of New York’s Twin Towers against Garry Kasparov. The match begins on September 11. Six years later on the same date, the towers were destroyed in terrorist attacks. Kasparov wins despite a promising start by Anand.?

2000?
S Vijayalakshmi becomes the first Indian female player to become an International Master (IM).?

2001?
Vijayalakshmi becomes first Indian women’s player to became a WGM (Woman Grandmaster).

2002?
Koneru Humpy becomes youngest woman ever to become Grandmaster (15 years, one month, 27 days). She beats the previous record held by Judit Polgar. ??

2007?
Anand becomes the undisputed World Champion.?

2012?
India hosts the Blind Chess Olympiad for the very first time in Chennai.

2016?
R Praggnanandhaa becomes youngest International Master ever at 10 years, 10 months, 19 days.?

2018?
Praggnanandhaa becomes Grandmaster at 12 years, 10 months, 13 days.