With Viswanathan Anand kicking off India's dominance and now mentoring young prodigies, India is fast becoming the chess powerhouse of the world
During her Budget speech, Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman made a quick segue to give a shoutout to teenage chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa.
“Chess prodigy and our Number One ranked player Praggnanandhaa put up a stiff fight against the reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen in 2023. Today, India has over 80 chess Grandmasters (GM) compared to a little over 20 in 2010,” she said, while lauding the country’s youth for scaling new heights in sports.
While much of the credit for the growth of chess goes to Viswanathan Anand, a five-time World Champion and India’s first Grandmaster, for his towering influence on the game, the focus on chess (and Praggnanandhaa) couldn’t have been more appropriate given the lightning speed at which India is approaching the 100-Grandmasters mark. At present, the number stands at 84, with Praggnanandhaa’s sister R Vaishali the latest to join the club. It’s a staggering number given that India got its first Grandmaster, Anand, only in 1988.
Says Pravin Thipsay, among India’s earliest Grandmasters: “Chess has been in the limelight since the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022 [hosted by India]. The prime minister has already mentioned names and achievements of our top chess players in his speeches over the last couple of years. However, being mentioned by the finance minister in the Budget speech, specifically Praggnanandhaa’s name, is indeed an extraordinary feat. The government is acknowledging the success of our young chess players, and this will give a great boost to Indian chess.”
The FM’s mention, he adds, will let the country know about the hardships faced and the sacrifices made by the players in a sport that is non-action, and non-physical and, hence, sometimes, unacknowledged.