Indian Chess Players: D Gukesh, Viswanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy, List of Top Chess Players in India

Top Chess Players in India: India’s growing participation in various fields of global competitions has made a mark internationally. Recently, Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju has made India proud by becoming the youngest chess champion at the age of 18, highlighting the achievements of Indian chess players at the global level. When it comes to chess, we only remember one name, Viswanathan Anand. While Anand has surely made a lasting impact in the history of chess, there are several other players who have achieved great success in the field. Let us look into some of the top Indian chess players and their glorious achievements. 

Viswanathan Anand

Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand, also known as the “Tiger of Madras,” is one of history’s most famous chess players and a pioneer of Indian chess. He became the first Indian Grandmaster in 1988, ushering in a golden age for the sport in India. Anand has won the World Chess Championship five times: in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He was the FIDE World No. 1 for an astonishing 21 months between 2007 and 2010. Anand, known for his outstanding quickness and dexterity, has won the World Rapid Chess Championship twice, in 2003 and 2017.

Koneru Humpy

Koneru Humpy is a pioneer in women’s chess and one of the most accomplished female players in history. She finished second in the World Championship and won the World Rapid Championship 2019. In 2002, she became the youngest woman to gain the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years, 1 month, and 27 days, a record that has since been broken by Hou Yifan. Humpy won gold medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, and Asian Championship. Humpy became the second female player after Polgár to exceed the 2600 Elo rating milestone in October 2007, with a rating of 2606.

D. Gukesh

D. Gukesh is the youngest World Chess Champion, hailing from Chennai, India. Gukesh recently defeated China’s Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship 2024, becoming the youngest world champion at the age of 18. He is the only teenager to win the title in 10 years; the previous record was set by Garry Kasparov at the age of 22. Gukesh is the third-youngest grandmaster in history, the youngest to reach a chess rating of 2750, and the youngest Candidates Tournament winner of two individual gold medals and a bronze at the Olympiad, as well as a silver medal at the Asian Games. 

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is a chess prodigy who achieved Grandmaster title at the age of 12 years in 2018. In 2023, he created history by reaching the FIDE World Cup finals, becoming the youngest-ever finalist and qualifying for the prestigious Candidates Tournament. Praggnanandhaa has also defeated reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen several times in quick formats, cementing his status as a rising star in the chess world.

Vidit Gujrathi

Vidit Gujrathi became a Grandmaster in 2013, and he has since become one of India’s top chess players. He is also the fourth Indian player to reach 2700 Elo ratings. He was also recently a member of India’s team for the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest.   

Tania Sachdev

Tania Sachdev is an International Master and Woman Grandmaster who has won several Asian and Commonwealth Women's Chess Championships. She's also a chess presenter and pundit.

Arjun Erigaisi

Arjun Erigaisi, born in 2003, became the 32nd youngest Grandmaster in history when he achieved the title at the age of 14. As of June 2024, Arjun had overcome former world champion Viswanathan Anand to become India's top-ranked player.