List of Chess Grandmasters In India
Chess is considered one of the toughest yet intriguing games ever invented, and becoming a Grandmaster in that game is no easy feat. Indians have been playing chess for decades and have produced quite several Grandmasters over the years. The first chess grandmaster of India was Viswanathan Anand in 1987, and since then, India has produced 66 more Grandmasters till 2021. The youngest chess grandmaster of India is Abhimanyu Mishra at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days in 2021, taking the title from his predecessor Gukesh D, who became the youngest chess grandmaster of India at just 12 years, 17 months, and 7 days.
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How do chess players qualify for Grandmaster?
The title of Grandmaster in chess is awarded to chess players by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. It is a title awarded for life unless revoked for cheating or adopting unfair means during games. To qualify for the title of grandmaster, one required an Elo rating over 2500 and two favourable norms or results in at least 27 chess games, if one wins the World Senior Championship, World Junior Championship, and the Women’s World Championship. This FIDE title can be revoked at any point by the organisation if the player violates any anti-cheating or ethical rules during any game.
Read on to know the list of chess grandmasters in India from 1987 till 2021 with their rankings, state, and year of becoming Grandmaster.
List Of Chess Grandmaster In India
Here is a complete list of chess grandmasters in India from 1987-2021, according to their rankings
Fun Facts About Chess Grandmaster India
The youngest grandmaster of India is Gukesh D at 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days. The title of youngest chess grandmaster of India formerly belonged to Praggnanandhaa.
The first chess grandmaster of India is Viswanath Anand, Telangana, who became Grandmaster in 1987. He is also India’s highest-ranking Grandmaster with a ranking of 2753.
The Indian Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli Chandra with Padma Shri, India’s most prestigious honour on March 11, 2019, by President Ramnath Kovind.
The first chess grandmaster of India, Viswanathan Anand, started learning to play chess at the age of 6 from his mother and close friend.
India's youngest grandmaster Gukesh D is the third youngest person in world history to secure the title of Grandmaster, beating Praggananandhaa, who became Grandmaster at the age of 12 years 10 months.
Abhimanyu Mishra, who became the youngest grandmaster of India, was born in May 2006.
Harika Dronavalli Chandra has won both the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri Award from the government of India in 2007-08 and 2019, respectively.
FAQs on Chess Grandmasters In India
1. Who is the youngest grandmaster in India?
Gukesh D became the youngest grandmaster of India and the world in 2021 at the age of 12 years 7 months, and 17 days. He took the title of the youngest grandmaster of India from Pragganada, who became the youngest grandmaster of India at the age of 12 years 10 months. India's youngest grandmaster Gukesh D has taken the title of being the third youngest person ever to qualify for the title of Grandmaster, beating Pragganada, who secured the title at 12 years and 17 months. India's youngest grandmaster also has a ranking of 2578 and even won the World Youth Chess Championship in 2018, the Under 12 category, and the Asian School Chess Championship in 2015.
2. Who became the youngest grandmaster of India in 2018?
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa became India's youngest chess grandmaster on 23rd June 2018. Born on 10th August 2005, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa became the second-youngest individual in history to gain the rank of Grandmaster after Karjakin and also got awarded with FIDE for his achievement. He also became the youngest international master in world chess history in 2016 at 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days. He went on to become the Grandmaster at the Grenadine Open in Urtijei at the age of 12 years, 17 months, and 17 days. The title of India's youngest chess grandmaster now belongs to Gukesh D.
3. Who is the most well-known chess grandmaster in India?
The most well-known chess grandmaster in India is Viswanathan Anand. The chess grandmaster in India is also a former world chess champion and holds the most rankings in chess in India at 2753 points. He was India’s first chess Grandmaster in 1987 and went on to become 5 times world chess champion and held the title of FIDE World Chess Champion from 2000-2002. He was also the undisputed world champion in 2007 before losing it to Magnus Carlsen in 2013. Anand was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1991-1992, being the first recipient of the highest sporting honour of India.
4. Who became the youngest grandmaster of India?
India's youngest chess grandmaster is Gukesh D, who was born on 29th May 2006 and is the third-youngest individual in chess history to qualify as a Grandmaster. The youngest chess grandmaster of India was only 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days when he obtained the title of Grandmaster beating R. Praggananandhaa. However, he narrowly missed beating the record of Karjakin, who qualified at 12 years 7 months. Gukesh has also won the World Youth Championships in 2018, the Under 12 category, and the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015. Gukesh had also qualified for International Master at the 34th Cappella-la-Grande Open in March 2018.
5. Who is Harika Dronavalli?
Harika Dronavalli is an Indian grandmaster born on 12 January 1991 and qualified for Grandmaster in 2011. Her FIDE rankings are at 2515, and she has won 3 bronze medals in the Women’s World Chess Championship in 2017, 2015, and 2012. She was awarded the Arjuna Award from the government of India in 2007-2008. She became the second female Indian Grandmaster after Humpy Koneru. Harika Dronavalli was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2019, the highest honour by the Indian government. She was also named the Chess Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017 by TOI, the Times of India, at the TOISA Annual Awards.
