Famous Chess Players in India

Chess is an indoor game and is a favorite pastime for millions of people around the world. Chess is said to improve one's intelligence.

It is widely accepted that chess originated in India and was commonly known as Chaturanga. The present form of chess has evolved from the ancient form played in India.

The All India Chess Federation was established in 1951, with its headquarters in Bombay. The first National Chess Championship took place at Eluru (Andhra Pradesh).

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) is the principal authority for chess in India. It is affiliated to Federation Internationale des Eches (FIDE), the world association for chess.

In the international chess scenario, India's position is very bright with many chess players making their presence felt at the international championships.

Renowned Indian Chess Players:

Here is a list of some of the renowned Chess Players in India:

• Dibyendu Barua was the second Indian to become a Grandmaster (1972)
• Koneru Humpy is Asia's youngest International Woman Master, 1999
• Krishnan Sasikiran became International Chess Grandmaster at the 2000 Commonwealth Championship (at Sangli, Maharashtra).
• Manuel Aaron was first Indian to be an International Master and the first chess player to win the Arjuna Award.
• Parimarjan Negi is the youngest Indian to win the Grandmaster title. He is also the world's youngest International Master.
• P Harikrishna is the first Indian to win the World Chess Championship in the under-10 category. He was the second Indian to win the Junior World Chess Championship.
• Viswanathan Anand was India's first Grandmaster (1998); the first Indian to win the FIDE World Chess Championship (2000)