Chess: State-wise list of all Indian Grandmasters

India has transformed into a global chess superpower, producing some of the sharpest minds the game has ever witnessed. As of the current records, India boasts an incredible roster of 94 chess Grandmasters, with Mayank Chakraborty the latest to be added to the list.

Here, we take a look at the state wise list of Indian Grandmasters:

1. Tamil Nadu (35 GMs)

It is impossible to talk about chess in India without starting in Tamil Nadu. Leading the entire nation by a massive margin, this southern state has produced a staggering 35 Grandmasters.

The chess revolution here was sparked by Viswanathan Anand, who became India's very first GM. Today, the state's legacy continues with globally recognized prodigies like Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, and Rameshbabu Vaishali. Other names from this state include Krishnan Sasikiran, SP Sethuraman, and Aravindh Chitambaram etc.

GMs from Tamil Nadu: Viswanathan Anand, Krishnan Sasikiran, Ramachandran Ramesh, Magesh Chandran Panchanathan, J Deepan Chakkravarthy, Subramaniam Arun Prasad, Sundaranjan Kidambi, RR Laxman, Baskaran Adhiban, SP Sethuraman, MR Venkatesh, Shyam Sundar, Vishnu Prassanna, Aravindh Chitambaram, Karthikeyan Murali, Ashwin Jayram, Priyadarshan Kannappan, Srinath Narayanan, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, P Karthikeyan, NR Visakh, Gukesh Dommaraju, P Iniyan, G Akash, Arjun Kalyan, Bharath Subramaniyam, Pranesh M, Vignesh NR, Rameshbabu Vaishali, Shyaam Nikhil P, Srihari LR, Harikrishnan RA, Rohith Krishna S, Ilamparthi AR, Raahul VS

2. Maharashtra (14 GMs)

Following as the second most successful state is Maharashtra, a formidable chess hub that has given the country 14 Grandmasters. The state has a deep-rooted chess culture that started with veteran players like Praveen Thipsay.

Today, Maharashtra's continues to churn out top-tier talent, including modern stars like Vidit Gujrathi, Raunak Sadhwani, and the highly talented Divya Deshmukh.

GMs from Maharashtra: Praveen Thipsay, Abhijit Kunte, Vidit Gujrathi, Akshyaraj Kore, Swapnil Dhopade, Shardul Gagare, Abhimanyu Puranik, Raunak Sadhwani, Harshit Raja, Sankalp Gupta, Aditya Mittal, Aditya Samant, Divya Deshmukh, Aarav Dengla

3. West Bengal (11 GMs)

With a rich cultural affinity for chess, West Bengal stands proudly with 11 Grandmasters. The state gave India its second-ever GM, Dibyendu Barua, who paved the way for generations of eastern Indian players.

This legacy is carried forward by exceptional players like Surya Sekhar Ganguly, Sandipan Chanda, and Diptayan Ghosh, keeping Kolkata and the broader state of West Bengal firmly on the global chess map.

GMs from West Bengal: Dibyendu Barua, Surya Sekhar Ganguly, Sandipan Chanda, Neelotpal Das, Deep Sengupta, Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury, Diptayan Ghosh, Saptarshi Roy, Mitraba Guha, Koustav Chhaterjee, Sayantan Das

4. Delhi (8 GMs)

Acting as the central command for chess in North India, Delhi has produced 8 strong Grandmasters. The capital territory is known for highly competitive players such as Parimarjan Negi, Abhijeet Gupta, and Vaibhav Suri. More recent GMs like Aryan Chopra and Prithu Gupta prove that Delhi remains a vital geographic center for chess development in India.

GMs from Delhi: Parimarjan Negi, Abhijieet Gupta, Sriram Jha, Vaibhav Suri, Sahaj Grover, Aryan Chopra, Prithu Gupta, Aaryan Varshney

5. Andhra Pradesh (7 GMs)

The Telugu-speaking state of Andhra Pradesh has contributed remarkably to India’s grandmaster count. This includes Penatala Harikrishna, Koneru Humpy, who was first Indian woman to earn the GM title, and later Harika Dronvalli.

GMs from Andhra Pradesh: Pentala Harikrishna, Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Lalith Babu, Karthik Venkataraman, Harsha Bharatakoti, Rahul Srivatsav

6. Karnataka (5 GMs)

Further down the southern peninsula, Karnataka is home to 5 Grandmasters, including MS Thejkumar and Stany GA. The reigning world junior champion Pranav Venkatesh also belongs to the state.

GMs from Karnataka: MS Thejkumar, Stany GA, Girish Koushik, Pranav V, Pranav Anand

7. Telangana (3 GMs)

Ever since getting its statehood over a decade ago, Telangana has produced three GMs, the most notable being Arjun Erigaisi.

GMs from Telangana: Arjun Erigaisi, Raja Rithvik, Prraneeth Vuppala

8. Kerala (3 GMs)

Kerala has produced 3 Grandmasters in chess over the years. Geetha Naraynan Gopal holds the distinction of being the first GM from the state, while Nihal Sarin and SL Narayanan are the others.

GMs from Kerala: Geetha Narayan Gopal, Nihal Sarin, SL Narayanan

9. Gujarat, Odisha, Goa (2 GMs each)

Top-tier chess talent is spread across every corner of India. States like Gujarat (Tejas Bakre, Ankit Rajpara), Odisha (Debashish Das, Swayams Mishra), and Goa (Anurag Mhamal, Leon Luke Mendonca) each proudly claim 2 GMs.

10. Haryana, Assam (1 GM each)

Furthermore, northern representation includes Haryana with Himanshu Sharma, while the Northeast recently celebrated an amazing milestone when Mayank Chakraborty from Assam became India's 94th and the region's first GM.