# List of Indian chess players

Indian chess players compete under the All India Chess Federation in events run by FIDE, the [International Chess Federation](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-chess-federation). The group's defining figures are [Viswanathan Anand](https://www.edgepedia.org/viswanathan-anand), India's first [Grandmaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/grandmaster-chess) and a five-time world champion, and Gukesh Dommaraju, who in December 2024 became the youngest world chess champion in history at age 18.<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/chess-gukesh-dommaraju-youngest-world-champion)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First Grandmaster | Viswanathan Anand, 1988, as a teenager<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)</sup> |
| Grandmaster count | 99 as of June 2025; 92 per a January 2026 count and 93 per another early-2026 count, a discrepancy between trackers<sup>[3](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/tsn/news/how-many-chess-grandmasters-are-india-full-list-indian-gms-viswanathan-anand/389acc6496c47a4c26d46338)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://kingdomofchess.com/blog/all-grandmasters-from-india)</sup> |
| GM title requirements | Three GM norms in top-level international tournaments plus a FIDE rating of 2500 or higher at least once<sup>[3](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/tsn/news/how-many-chess-grandmasters-are-india-full-list-indian-gms-viswanathan-anand/389acc6496c47a4c26d46338)</sup> |
| World champions | Anand (five titles, first in Tehran 2000) and Gukesh Dommaraju (2024)<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://sathee.iitk.ac.in/sathee-railway-exams/student-corner/general-knowledge/sports-games/chess-india/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/chess-gukesh-dommaraju-youngest-world-champion)</sup> |
| 2024 Chess Olympiad | India won gold in both the Open and Women's sections at Budapest, plus the Gaprindashvili Cup for the best combined result<sup>[6](https://www.fide.com/india-triumphs-at-45th-chess-olympiad-winning-both-open-and-womens-competitions/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.fide.com/triumphant-moments-celebrating-the-winners-of-45th-chess-olympiad/)</sup> |

## How the Grandmaster title is earned

The Grandmaster title, FIDE's highest for over-the-board play, requires a player to earn three GM norms in top-level international tournaments and to reach a FIDE rating of 2500 or higher at least once.<sup>[3](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/tsn/news/how-many-chess-grandmasters-are-india-full-list-indian-gms-viswanathan-anand/389acc6496c47a4c26d46338)</sup> The women's equivalents, Woman Grandmaster and Woman International Master, are separate titles; Indian WGMs include players such as Savitha Shri B, who received the title in 2023.<sup>[8](https://ratings.fide.com/profile/35061887/top)</sup>

## Growth of the Grandmaster roster

**From three to more than ninety.** Before 2000 India had three grandmasters; it has produced over 80 since, with 30 coming from the southern state of [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu) alone.<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)</sup> A 2024 compilation counted 85 Grandmasters, from Anand through P Shyaamnikhil, who became the 85th in May 2024.<sup>[9](https://www.chessbox.in/players/list-of-grandmasters-from-india/)</sup> Counts differ between trackers for later dates: a June 2025 figure gives 99 GMs, while a January 2026 report puts the total at 92, with Aaryan Varshney the latest after winning the Andranik Margaryan Memorial in Armenia,<sup>[3](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/tsn/news/how-many-chess-grandmasters-are-india-full-list-indian-gms-viswanathan-anand/389acc6496c47a4c26d46338)</sup> and another early-2026 list gives 93 confirmed with a 94th pending FIDE ratification.<sup>[4](https://kingdomofchess.com/blog/all-grandmasters-from-india)</sup>

The early sequence of the list is stable across sources: Dibyendu Barua of West Bengal was the second GM in 1991, Pravin Thipsay of Maharashtra the third in 1997, and Abhijit Kunte and K Sasikiran followed in 2000.<sup>[9](https://www.chessbox.in/players/list-of-grandmasters-from-india/)</sup> [Vaishali Rameshbabu](https://www.edgepedia.org/vaishali-rameshbabu), Praggnanandhaa's sister and a double youth champion, became India's 84th Grandmaster in December 2023.<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.chessbox.in/players/list-of-grandmasters-from-india/)</sup>

## Viswanathan Anand and the foundations

Anand became a grandmaster in 1988 as a teenager and went on to win five world championships.<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)</sup> He won the FIDE World Chess Championship in Tehran in 2000, becoming the first Asian and the first Indian world champion.<sup>[5](https://sathee.iitk.ac.in/sathee-railway-exams/student-corner/general-knowledge/sports-games/chess-india/)</sup> His peak FIDE rating of 2817 was among the highest recorded at the time, in an era when only six players had topped 2800.<sup>[10](https://time.com/3803833/the-superstar-and-the-sex-symbol-the-worlds-highest-ranking-chess-champions/)</sup>

**Mentorship of the next generation.** At the height of the pandemic Anand launched the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), an online platform modeled on the Soviet-era Botvinnik School of Chess, and handpicked the country's prodigies, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali, and Arjun, arranging coaching from trainers he had worked with during his own career.<sup>[11](https://pdf.indianexpress.com/pdfupload/subepaper/ie-digital-18-10-2024.pdf)</sup>

## The current leading players

India's top three players are Gukesh Dommaraju (born 2006), [Arjun Erigaisi](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjun-erigaisi) (born 2003), and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 2005), with an average age of 21; the United States' top three of the same period average 39 years old.<sup>[12](https://library.washu.edu/news/exploring-indias-chess-ecosystem/)</sup> Gukesh overtook Anand to become the highest-rated Indian player in August 2023, at age 17.<sup>[13](https://www.theweek.in/magazine/theweek/sports/2024/04/27/five-time-chess-world-champion-viswanathan-anand-interview.html)</sup>

In 2023 Praggnanandhaa beat the second- and third-ranked players to reach the World Cup final, where he lost to [Magnus Carlsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/magnus-carlsen); India accounted for four of the last eight players in that tournament.<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)</sup> Gukesh won the [Candidates Tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/candidates-tournament) in 2024 to earn a world championship match.<sup>[6](https://www.fide.com/india-triumphs-at-45th-chess-olympiad-winning-both-open-and-womens-competitions/)</sup>

**Gukesh's world title.** In December 2024, Gukesh defeated the reigning champion [Ding Liren](https://www.edgepedia.org/ding-liren) in the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore, becoming the youngest-ever world chess champion at 18 and surpassing [Garry Kasparov](https://www.edgepedia.org/garry-kasparov)'s record, set in 1985 when the Russian won the title at age 22.<sup>[2](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/chess-gukesh-dommaraju-youngest-world-champion)</sup> He is the second Indian to hold the title, after his mentor Anand.<sup>[14](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/12/12/l-indien-dommaraju-gukesh-devient-a-18-ans-le-plus-jeune-champion-du-monde-d-echecs_6444754_3242.html)</sup>

## Olympiad results

India's team record includes the 2020 FIDE Online Chess Olympiad, where it shared gold with Russia.<sup>[5](https://sathee.iitk.ac.in/sathee-railway-exams/student-corner/general-knowledge/sports-games/chess-india/)</sup> At the 44th Olympiad in Chennai in 2022, the Indian team won the Gaprindashvili Cup.<sup>[15](https://static.pw.live/5eb393ee95fab7468a79d189/GLOBAL_CMS_BLOGS/557cfb13-a748-4884-a4fd-c9e5af9c2eff.pdf)</sup>

**The 2024 double gold.** At the 45th [Chess Olympiad](https://www.edgepedia.org/chess-olympiad) in Budapest (September 10 to 23, 2024), India won both the Open and Women's competitions. The open team of [Gukesh D](https://www.edgepedia.org/gukesh-d), Praggnanandhaa R, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Harikrishna Pentala, with Srinath Narayanan as captain, led throughout, winning 10 matches and drawing one, and defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5 in the final round. The women's team of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and [Tania Sachdev](https://www.edgepedia.org/tania-sachdev), captained by Abhijit Kunte, beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 in the last round while Kazakhstan, tied with India going in, only drew with the USA.<sup>[6](https://www.fide.com/india-triumphs-at-45th-chess-olympiad-winning-both-open-and-womens-competitions/)</sup> India also received the Hamilton-Russell Cup, the Vera Menchik Cup, and the Gaprindashvili Cup for the best combined result.<sup>[7](https://www.fide.com/triumphant-moments-celebrating-the-winners-of-45th-chess-olympiad/)</sup>

Four Indian players won individual board golds: Gukesh on board 1 and Arjun Erigaisi on board 3 in the open section, and Divya Deshmukh on board 3 and Vantika Agrawal on board 4 in the women's section.<sup>[16](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/how-india-came-to-dominate-chessboard-olympiad-2024-9592324/)</sup> Gukesh scored 9 points in 10 games and Arjun Erigaisi 10 points in 11 games.<sup>[6](https://www.fide.com/india-triumphs-at-45th-chess-olympiad-winning-both-open-and-womens-competitions/)</sup> Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the dual win to an audience of an estimated 13,000 people during a visit to New York.<sup>[17](https://apnews.com/article/1e3a2fd0d1a812d96351e6db7e5320e5)</sup>

## References

1. [Praggnanandhaa looks to achieve the No. 1 chess ranking to add to India's dominance, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/443ccc8aab65fc67fac4094e2e82b2b2)
2. [India's Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, becomes youngest-ever world chess champion, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/chess-gukesh-dommaraju-youngest-world-champion)
3. [How many chess Grandmasters are from India? Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/tsn/news/how-many-chess-grandmasters-are-india-full-list-indian-gms-viswanathan-anand/389acc6496c47a4c26d46338)
4. [All Grandmasters from India: The Complete List, Kingdom of Chess](https://kingdomofchess.com/blog/all-grandmasters-from-india)
5. [Chess India, SATHEE, IIT Kanpur](https://sathee.iitk.ac.in/sathee-railway-exams/student-corner/general-knowledge/sports-games/chess-india/)
6. [India triumphs at 45th Chess Olympiad, FIDE](https://www.fide.com/india-triumphs-at-45th-chess-olympiad-winning-both-open-and-womens-competitions/)
7. [Triumphant moments: Celebrating the winners of 45th Chess Olympiad, FIDE](https://www.fide.com/triumphant-moments-celebrating-the-winners-of-45th-chess-olympiad/)
8. [Savitha Shri B FIDE Chess Profile](https://ratings.fide.com/profile/35061887/top)
9. [List of 85 Chess Grandmasters From India (2024), ChessBox](https://www.chessbox.in/players/list-of-grandmasters-from-india/)
10. [The Superstar and the Sex Symbol, TIME](https://time.com/3803833/the-superstar-and-the-sex-symbol-the-worlds-highest-ranking-chess-champions/)
11. [The Indian Express e-paper, 18 October 2024](https://pdf.indianexpress.com/pdfupload/subepaper/ie-digital-18-10-2024.pdf)
12. [Exploring India's Chess Ecosystem, WashU Libraries](https://library.washu.edu/news/exploring-indias-chess-ecosystem/)
13. [Viswanathan Anand interview, The Week](https://www.theweek.in/magazine/theweek/sports/2024/04/27/five-time-chess-world-champion-viswanathan-anand-interview.html)
14. [L'Indien Dommaraju Gukesh devient le plus jeune champion du monde d'échecs, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/12/12/l-indien-dommaraju-gukesh-devient-a-18-ans-le-plus-jeune-champion-du-monde-d-echecs_6444754_3242.html)
15. [Odisha Current Affairs compilation, PW Live](https://static.pw.live/5eb393ee95fab7468a79d189/GLOBAL_CMS_BLOGS/557cfb13-a748-4884-a4fd-c9e5af9c2eff.pdf)
16. [How India came to dominate the chessboard, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/how-india-came-to-dominate-chessboard-olympiad-2024-9592324/)
17. [India Prime Minister's US visit, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/1e3a2fd0d1a812d96351e6db7e5320e5)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Chess › Chess players › Chess players by nationality*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

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