With bases loaded, chess goes big in India

Bangalore: "They're here, they're here," screamed a group of ecstatic 10-year-olds before sprinting in the direction of two vehicles that they had just spotted.

"Movie star," said a bemused passerby, for the queue emanating from an auditorium in Bangalore on Thursday night, was serpentine and long enough to get heads turning.

And just as the star in question stepped out of the car, a resounding cheer - 'Gukeeeeesh, Gukesh' - akin to the iconic Sachin chant, pierced the air.

No movie star alighted from the cars though. Instead, the creme-de-la-creme of Indian chess did.

A huge cheer

Over two hundred fans jostled for the best seats in the house and cheered aloud as the legendary Viswanathan Anand took the stage at the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA) meet-up held in the city.

And the cheering continued unabated even as Gukesh, followed by Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali made their way up to the dais.

The meet-up, organised by WACA, was a celebration of the young trio's achievements. At just eighteen years of age, Pragg has an FIDE Chess ranking of 14, while older sister Vaishali is ranked 13 on the women's list.

Gukesh D, meanwhile, ranked number six in the world and a few days shy of his eighteenth birthday, received a resounding applause as a video montage displayed his astounding effort to win the recent candidates event.

A roaring cheer for Gukesh D at the #waca fan meet-up in Bangalore on Thursday night.@the_bridge_in pic.twitter.com/PXxJRPj9gq

— Rahul Kargal (@rahulkargal) May 24, 2024

A chess revolution

The scenes that unfolded in Bangalore on Thursday night were an indication of the growing popularity of chess in the country.

Last year, the country boasted of 85 GMs, 124 International Masters (IM), 23 Woman Grandmasters (WGM), and 42 Woman International Masters (WIM).

Those astounding figures notwithstanding, at the very top echelons of the sport, India now has multiple GMs that feature in the world's top twenty. Four in the men's category and three in the women's ranking list to be precise.

And unbeknownst to most, the achievements of this crop and the others, are flaming a chess revolution in the country. From clubs and schools to universities and offices, people of all age groups are playing chess, both on the board and online.

Like Mainak, a technology professional, for instance.

"I play chess online during my break at work," he told The Bridge.

"It's a great escape when on a break and it helps me unwind briefly when at work."

Numerous online portals became incredibly popular during the pandemic and this only contributed to the sport’s spiraling growth.

Similarly, Dilip, an engineering student, loves to play online as well.

"As much as I'd like to play at the university, firewalls block the chess portals and so, we need to play on the board during our breaks," he said, with a smile.

Mentoring support

While several academies across the country offer formal coaching to young aspirants, the proven ones need a little extra care.

And that's where WACA and Viswanathan Anand are upping the ante and now have six 'mentees' and eight 'talents' under their umbrella.

"It's been spectacular. The last three years have been exciting for Indian chess," said the five-time world champion, speaking at the event.

Meanwhile, Sandeep Singhal, co-founder and Managing Partner at WestBridge Capital, is thrilled over the progress made.

"The bases are now loaded with Pragg, Gukesh, and Vaishali," he said, hinting at the trio's success and how, with that in place, the task at hand now was the industrialization of the system to scale up.

The task, however, is an arduous one. But the 'father of Indian chess' is quietly shepherding the cause.

"You can't take chess out of me," said Anand, reassuring fans of his support for the Indian cause, despite having 'semi-retired' from competitive chess.

And so, the task for him and his coterie is the development of the current and the next crop, all with the goal of not just producing the next world champion but building an entire pipeline of GMs to cement India as a world-leader in chess.