The Indian flag is flying high in world chess. Here is a timeline of important milestones for the nation in the sport.
Around 600 AD
Chess originates in India, a version of the strategic game Chaturanga. It later evolves into Shatranj in Persia with changes to rules and pieces. Around 1500 CE, the game takes on its present form.
1924
FIDE, the game’s ruling body, is formed during the first but unofficial chess Olympiad in Paris. Its motto is Gens Una Sumus (‘We are one family’).
1955
India gets its first National Champion, Ramachandra Sapre.
1956
India first participates in the Chess Olympiad, held in Moscow. The team members are Ramdas (UP), B P Mhalskar (Sangli), S Venkataraman (Chennai) and R B Sapre (Mumbai).
1961
Manuel Aaron becomes India’s first International Master. He also holds the record of the maximum number of Indian National Championship wins (nine times).
1980
Rafique Khan, son of a Bhopal carpenter, becomes India’s first Chess Olympiad medallist, winning the silver medal.
1987
Viswanathan Anand becomes the first Indian to win the World Junior Chess Championship.
1988
Anand becomes the first Indian Grandmaster (GM) and is a household name by now. By 18, he has won the Padma Shri.
1995
Anand plays World Championship final on top of New York’s Twin Towers against Garry Kasparov. The match begins on September 11. Six years later on the same date, the towers were destroyed in terrorist attacks. Kasparov wins despite a promising start by Anand.
2000
S Vijayalakshmi becomes the first Indian female player to become an International Master (IM).
2001
Vijayalakshmi becomes first Indian women’s player to became a WGM (Woman Grandmaster).
2002
Koneru Humpy becomes youngest woman ever to become Grandmaster (15 years, one month, 27 days). She beats the previous record held by Judit Polgar.
2007
Anand becomes the undisputed World Champion.
2012
India hosts the Blind Chess Olympiad for the very first time in Chennai.
2016
R Praggnanandhaa becomes youngest International Master ever at 10 years, 10 months, 19 days.
2018
Praggnanandhaa becomes Grandmaster at 12 years, 10 months, 13 days.
