Chess players are among the most respected players in the world, owing to their immense concentration, strategic power, patience and intelligence
Chess is a game of skills, concentration, strategy and intelligence. This is a game where two players match their wit against each other and the one with better strategy and patience emerges victorious. In India, the game has gradually attained popularity over the years.
In fact, Chess is believed to a have originated in Eastern India during the reign of the Gupta kings in the 6th century. It was then known by its Sanskrit name of Chaturanga. The governing body for Chess in India is the All India Chess Federation.
5) Parimarjan Negi:
Negi is sixth in India with a FIDE rating of 2670. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 13 in the year 2006, thereby achieving the milestone of becoming the second youngest chess Grandmaster ever. Negi won the 11th Asian Chess Championship in the year 2012 at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
His other wins include the Philadelphia International Open in the year 2008 and the 48th National Premier Chess Championship in the year 2010.
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4) Vidit Santosh Gujrathi:
Vidit became a Grandmaster in the year 2013 at the age of 18. In the year 2006, he came second in the Asian Youth Championship in the Under-12 category. In the year 2008, he became the winner of the World Youth Chess Championship in the sub-junior category.
In the year 2013, Vidit won a bronze medal at the World Junior Chess Championship in the Under-20 category. With a FIDE rating of 2673, Vidit is fifth in India.
3) Krishnan Sasikaran:
Krishnan Sasikaran is a Chess Grandmaster with a FIDE rating of 2674. Sasikaran achieved the required norms for the Grandmaster title at the 2000 Commonwealth Championship. He is a four time winner of the Indian Chess Championship in the year 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2013.
In the year 1999, he won the Asian Junior Chess Championship. In the year 2006, he bagged a gold medal at the Asian Games Team Event. He won the Arjuna Award in the year 2002.
2) Pentala Harikrishna:
Pentala Harikrishna is a Chess Grandmaster who won the 2001 Commonwealth Championship, World Junior Championship in the year 2004 and Asian Individual Championship in 2011.
Pentala Harikrishna became one of the top ten players in the world in the year 2016 with an FIDE rating of 2768. He has a plethora of medals and championships to his name. His current FIDE rating is 2758.
1) Viswanathan Anand:
Viswanathan Anand is a legendary Indian Chess Grandmaster and a former World Chess Champion. He is India’s first Chess Grandmaster, a title which he won in the year 1988. He became the World Champion in the year 2007 and defended his title in the year 2008, 2010 and 2012.
In the year 2013, he lost his title. Anand is the first sports person to receive the Padma Vibhushan award, India’s second highest civilian award. He is the number one chess player in the country with a FIDE rating of 2786.
Honorable mention:
Do you agree with our list? Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments.
Sethuraman S.P. s, Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Baskaran Adhiban, Aravindh Chithambaram VR, Abhijeet Gupta
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