A NEW TALE OF INDIAN CHESS: PRODIGIES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS ?

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For every child prodigy you know, at least 100 potential prodigies have burned out before you even heard of them.

Chess prodigies possess a rare combination of talent, intuition, and courage. They achieve thrilling wins but also face setbacks in their journeys, which begin at a young age with intense training. While adult players might hesitate or stick to well-trodden strategies, young prodigies never hesitate to make bold and creative moves on the board. Behind every successful story, there is a dedicated team – there are coaches guiding the prodigies and of course, there are parents juggling commitments to help their kids chase their dreams.

Not all prodigies turn into World beaters. But these Indian Prodigies are turning it around one after the other. India is in the middle of a Chess Disruption and these Indian youngsters are at the helm of it. We are emerging as a superpower in the sport that is believed to have originated here in the sixth century.

In about 10 days from now, The biggest event of chess, World Chess Championship is taking place in which, the youngest of them all, just 17 years of age, GM D GUKESH, is all set to challenge the current World Champion in Chess, Ding Liren.

If he manages to pass through this hurdle and eventually become the world champion, it would be a feat not many have conquered. This great feat can be seconded by the fact that There have been 21 official world chess champions in the history of the game and only one of them was Indian, the Legend GM Vishwanathan Anand.

Many of the Chess greats including the 5-time World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen have predicted the results to be tilting towards India, but if Sports results were predicted on paper, we all know India would have won the Cricket World Cup 2023, at this point of time, last year.

It would be such a fascinating thing to read that such a young guy is making such big inroads into the world of chess.

But now, if I tell you there are 2 more who are already at the same level, if not more, and are catching the eyeballs of people all over the world.

GM ARJUN ERIGAISI at 21 & GM R PRAGGNANANDHA AT 18 are two others who have grown so rapidly that their grind looks like an overnight success.

ARJUN currently stands at No. 2 in Live Classical Chess rankings just behind the all-time great Magnus Carlsen. If he continues this scintillating form he has shown over the last year, it is very much possible he will overtake Magnus to become the new World No.1 very soon.

PRAGG is the name most Indians would have heard after Vishy Anand when we hear about Chess in India. He is the one who was always termed as the next big thing and he didn’t disappoint.

In 2023, he reached the World Cup finals undefeated losing only to the eventual champion Magnus Carlsen in the tiebreaks.

These are just 3 stories to hear who have reached a considerable mark in the world of Chess and are only rising upwards but there are many more who are still unknown and grinding.

I am sure you would have heard of the Indian Team victory at the Chess Olympiad this year. This victory was possible because the team had these 3 on the top 3 boards along with 2 experienced ones GM Vidit Gujrathi and GM Pentala Harikrishna.

Women were not far behind. They were under some serious pressure at the Olympiad facing some tough competition from their opponents, unlike their counterparts who were cruising throughout, but they eventually came out on top giving some solid and brilliant performance claiming the top spot.

The Youngsters stepped up big time with IM Divya Deshmukh and IM Vantika Agarwal being the ones who also won individual golds and were crucial at the crunch moments and GM Vaishali Rameshbabu being as solid as ever.

Keep a check on the names of these 3 girls. You are going to hear a lot of them in time to come. These 3 were backed by 2 experienced players in GM Harika Dronavali and IM Tanya Sachdeva.

Even though we didn’t have our top Indian women’s player in the team, GM Konery Humpy, we still managed to win the GOLD, which shows the depth this Indian team possess.

For the first time, the Indian National anthem was played twice in the arena and the trophy was passed by the Indian Legend Vishy Anand to the Indian team which properly symbolised the beginning of a new dawn for Indian Chess.

Currently, we have 85 Indian Grandmasters in Chess. All of them have very different stories but it all started with one man, the first Indian Grandmaster, Vishwanathan Anand. Vishwanathan Anand not only inspired these youngsters to take up chess as a career but also is actively involved with most of them helping them in his academy known as the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA)

The support from sponsors and corporate entities has also been instrumental in nurturing young chess talents in India. Financial backing allows these prodigies to participate in international tournaments, receive coaching from renowned trainers, and focus entirely on their chess careers. Companies like Westbridge, Adani, ONGC, Bharat Petroleum, and several others have sponsored individual players and tournaments, providing much-needed support.

There are many others who are never heard of and perhaps never will be. The seeds that were sown by the great are reaping fruits now. What this means for chess in India is something we will know in the years to come. But what we can do is cheer for these young Indians in their quest to conquer the world.

Their achievements and excitement towards chess have already begun to shape a new era for Indian chess, inspiring countless young players to take up the sport. With continued support, strategic investments, and a nurturing environment, India is poised to become a dominant force in the world of chess.

As these young talents continue to hone their skills and gain international experience, the possibility of seeing more than one Indian World Chess Champion becomes increasingly likely. The journey ahead is filled with challenges, but with determination, dedication, and the collective efforts of the chess community, the future of Indian chess holds limitless potential.

Reference/s –

• ChessBase India – A leading resource for Indian chess news, interviews, and analysis.
• FIDE – International Chess Federation – The official website of the world governing body of chess.
• All India Chess Federation (AICF) – The official organization for chess in India, providing information on tournaments, players, and initiatives.