In 2024, Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh became the youngest player to enter the FIDE Candidates Tournament in the open category, the last in the World Championship Cycle. He was only 17 years old. Not only did Gukesh enter, but he also won the tournament to challenge the then World Chess Champion Ding Liren. He won, too.
This year, another Indian sensation, Divya Deshmukh, also qualified for the Women’s Chess Candidates Tournament after winning the World Cup title in Batumi, Georgia. She is only 19 years old and became the youngest ever woman chess player to enter the tournament. It is in the grave of the future – like Gukesh, will she win the tournament or not?
India Has 88 GMs, Which Ranks The Country At 5th In The World Among the Most Number Of GMs
But, after the World Cup win, Divya attained the title of Grandmaster and became India’s 88th GM. In terms of the number of GMs, India is ranked 5th. Only Russia with 211 GMs, Germany with 96, Ukraine with 89 and the USA with 105 are ahead of India, as per the data published by the website ‘playmagnus’ in September 2022. China has only 48 GMs.
In the last 2-3 years, India recorded several thumping achievements in chess. It happened for the first time in 2024. After Vishwanathan Anand, R Praggananadhaa became the first player to play the final of the World Cup in 2023, but unfortunately, he lost the title to Magnus Carlsen.
In the same year, Vidit Gujarati won the Grand Swiss, and R Vaishali, too, in the women’s category, and both players made their way to the Candidates.
The Candidates Tournament is the final event in the World Championship cycle before the World Championship match itself. It is an eight-man event from which participants are selected from the various tournaments of the world.
In 2025, too, India is making record after record. Divya Deshmukh has won the World Cup title after defeating compatriot Koneru Humpy, and both players have secured their spots in the Candidates tournament.
As per the latest data published by the chess governing body – FIDE, nine Indian players are ranked under 50 in the open section of the Standard Chess, 4 in the Rapid Chess and 5 in the Blitz Chess.
Is this record not enough?
Is this record not enough? Today, the World Chess Champion is from India, and this year too, several Indian players are about to secure or have secured their spots in the Candidates in both categories – Open and Women.
Now, can it not be said that India is shining in the chess world with its all-time hero Vishwanathan Anand and prodigies R Praggnandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, SL Narayanan, Raunak Sadhwani, Divya Deshmukh, Kuneri Hampy, R Vaishali and many more. Can it not be said that it is the golden era of Indian Chess?
ALSO READ: Divya Deshmukh: Historic Win at the FIDE Women’s World Cup and Grandmaster Title at 19
