Checkmate

A new generation of chess elite, backed by early mentorship and building on the wins of the previous generation, is cementing India's place at the top

- Pushpita Dhar

Three-year-old Anish Sarkar from West Bengal balances on a pile of chairs, staring intently at the chess board in front of him, his right hand placed on his chin. His focus never wavers. On the other side are three chess grandmasters. The toddler is the youngest-rated chess prodigy, achieving an International Chess Federation (FIDE) rating of 1555.

Sarkar’s emergence comes at an exciting moment for chess in India. The international success of Arjun Erigaisi, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Dommaraju Gukesh and India’s historic double gold victory at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest this year have cemented India’s place on the global chess map.

Gold Standard

At the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, India created history by winning gold medals in both the open and women’s events. “It feels like a magical time for India,” said former five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand on the FIDE YouTube channel ahead of the final day, when India was on the cusp of victory.

The open team of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Harikrishna Pentala won by a margin of 4 points (21 versus the United States’s 17) while the women’s team of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev won it 19–18 against Kazakhstan.