2023 review: How Indian chess whizzes checkmated world’s grandmasters
From Praggnanandhaa's stunning silver to rise of women talents like Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali, Indian players showcased prowess on global stage in 2023
Chess in India has come a long way since Viswanathan Anand became the first Indian Grandmaster (GM) in 1988. The year 2023 saw the country boast of an impressive ensemble of 84 Grandmasters, having established itself as a formidable chess powerhouse. Indian players showcased exceptional skill and outshone their global counterparts this year. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa stole the thunder at the World Cup in Baku, securing the silver medal and coming second only to the world No 1 Magnus Carlsen. With this stunning show, Praggnanandhaa became the second Indian after Anand to qualify for 2024 Candidates Tournament in Toronto.
“Carlsen had said way back in 2013 that India is going to be the next chess superpower. Having quality players in the top 50 is one of the reasons. Added to that, the grassroots level of Indian players has gone up in a phenomenal way. It’s comparable to the former Soviet Union. The competition is huge, which gives the players a great practical strength,” pointed out GM Sundararajan Kidambi when queried about India’s incredible growth in chess.
Vidit Santosh Gujrathi played the tournament of his life to clinch the FIDE Grand Swiss title in Douglas, the capital city of Isle of Man. With this success, Vidit joined compatriot Praggnanandhaa in the Candidates. Considering his reverse in the first round, the 29-year-old’s victory is all the more remarkable! He scored (8.5/10) to finish ahead of world No 2 Fabiano Caruana and world No 4 Hikaru Nakamura.
The rise and rise of Indian chess players
This victory propelled Vidit to world No 15 (2737) in the ratings of International Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE. He followed it up by winning the Gashimov Memorial in Gabala, Azerbaijan. It was Vidit’s second straight title even though it came in a different format (Rapid and Blitz). “Vidit has been a great positional player. He has a deep understanding of the game. Nevertheless, winning the Grand Swiss is a jewel in the crown of any player. Winning the tournament ahead of strong players bodes well for him and Indian chess,” reflected Kidambi on Vidit’s Grand Swiss success.
Praggnanandhaa has been winning world titles since the age of eight. He hogged the limelight in 2022, defeating the five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen twice in the online rapid events. The 18-year-old made a big leap in 2023. He broke into the 2700-club, triumphing in the closed round-robin GM tournament in Budapest. His spectacular showing in the World Cup earned the appreciation of one and all among Indians. Continuing his rich vein of form, Praggnanandhaa (6.5/7, 5th board) played a big part in WR Chess’ title triumph in the World Rapid Team Championship in Dusseldorf, Germany. His long-time coach GM R B Ramesh deserves a lot of credit for Praggnanandhaa’s meteoric rise.
Dommaraju Gukesh did the unthinkable this year. The 17-year-old ended the 37-year-long reign of Viswanathan Anand as India No 1, surpassing his idol in the September list of FIDE ratings. Gukesh went one spot (eighth in the world) ahead of Anand with a rating of 2758. The former world No 1 occupied the ninth place with a rating of 2754. Gukesh had an incredible 2022, winning an individual gold on the top board at the Chennai Chess Olympiad (9/11) for India 2. His performance powered India 2 to a bronze-medal finish at the biennial event.
Anand has inspired Indian chess players with his exploits over the board for more than three decades. Launching a chess academy in 2021 with WestBridge Capital, Anand is contributing off the board too. His academy, WestBridge Anand Chess Academy or WACA, arranges world-class coaching to some of the best talents in India (men and women). Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, R Vaishali and B Savitha Shri have benefited under the guidance of top coaches like Boris Gelfand, Artur Yusupov, Grzegorz Gajewski and Sandipan Chanda.
Another big boost for chess was the launch of Global Chess League (somewhat similar to IPL) in Dubai, thanks to Tech Mahindra and FIDE. Most of the top players like Carlsen and Anand competed in the team event. Led by Levon Aronian, Triveni Continental Kings were crowned champions.
Women players come to the fore
R Vaishali punched above her weight to win the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss, which was a big boost for women’s chess in India. As a matter of fact, Vaishali (women’s) and Praggnanandhaa (Open) became the first sister-brother sibling duo to make the cut for Candidates! En route to her stunning victory, she toppled three women’s World champions: Mariya Muzychuk, Antoaneta Stefanova and Tan Zhongyi. In her next tournament in Spain, the 22-year-old became a GM to fulfil her lifelong dream. She is the third Indian woman after Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika to achieve this feat.
“Vaishali believes in herself more now. She has also been working with GM Sandipan Chanda, which has helped her focus better on real issues. She is playing actively, which is what she likes but has not been doing often in the past,” said Vaishali’s long-time trainer Ramesh on her stupendous showing in Women’s Grand Swiss.
Among women, Divya Deshmukh was the other Indian to make rapid strides in 2023. After winning the Asian women’s crown in Astana, the 18-year-old stole the thunder in Kolkata. Coming in as a last-minute replacement for Vaishali, Divya upstaged reigning women’s World champion Ju Wenjun to clinch the title at the Tata Steel India Chess Women’s Rapid Tournament.
