BHARAT’S CHESS ERA IS HERE — AND GEN Z IS CHECKMATING THE WORLD

When 11-year-old Sharvaanica walked up to receive the gold medal at the FIDE World Cadet & Youth Rapid Chess Championship 2026 in Serbia, it wasn’t just another sporting win for Bharat. It felt like a full-circle moment. The country where chess was born is once again dominating the global board — and this time, Gen Z is leading the charge.

For years, Bharat’s chess revolution has been building quietly, move by move. The spark was lit by the legendary Viswanathan Anand in the 1980s and 1990s. Cool-headed, lightning-fast, and endlessly iconic, Anand didn’t just become a five-time world champion — he made chess aspirational for an entire generation. Back then, kids wanted to play cricket. Anand made them want to play chess too.

And now? That Anand effect has evolved into a nationwide chess wave.

 

The next generation — R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, P Harikrishna, and many others — has transformed Bharat into a global chess superpower. On the women’s side, icons like Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika ensured that the rise wasn’t limited to one side of the board.

What makes this story even more powerful is that chess itself traces its roots back to Bharat. During the Gupta dynasty in the 6th century CE, the game existed as Chaturanga — a strategic battle simulation representing four military divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariotry, and elephantry. Over centuries, the game travelled from Bharat to Persia, then Europe, and eventually the rest of the world.

So in many ways, Bharat’s current dominance isn’t just a comeback. It’s a homecoming.

There’s also a deeper cultural connection. Historians often link Bharat’s early breakthroughs in mathematics — especially the invention of zero — with the intellectual environment that gave birth to chess. Strategy, calculation, patience, foresight — these have long been embedded in the civilisational fabric.

But today’s chess boom isn’t happening because of history alone.

A strong grassroots ecosystem, junior tournaments, school-level competition, better coaching access, supportive parents, and institutional backing have changed the game entirely. The government and organisations like the All India Chess Federation have played major roles in building infrastructure and opportunities. In several states, chess is now part of school curriculum — something unimaginable a few decades ago.

Meanwhile, Anand continues shaping the future through the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy, which keeps producing elite young talent at an unbelievable rate.

And the results speak loudly.

Bharat has now produced 93 grandmasters — the fourth-highest total in the world. The country won bronze at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai. Then came a golden phase: D Gukesh became the youngest-ever world champion in 2024 at just 18. R Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen multiple times and finished as World Cup runner-up in 2023. Arjun Erigaisi crossed the legendary 2800 ELO mark. Divya Deshmukh became Women’s World Cup runner-up in 2025. Vidit Gujrathi added Olympiad gold to the growing collection.

And then came the ultimate statement — Bharat clinched both the Open and Women’s team gold medals at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. Led by stars like D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, Koneru Humpy, and Dronavalli Harika, Bharat proved that its chess supremacy is no longer potential — it is reality.

From Chaturanga to world domination, Bharat’s chess journey has officially entered its main-character era.

Today, chess is no longer seen as a niche intellectual hobby. It’s fast becoming part of Gen Z culture — a game of mindset, confidence, creativity, and calm under pressure. Streams, reels, online tournaments, AI analysis, and chess creators have made the sport cooler and more accessible than ever before.

The world once learned chess from Bharat.

Now Bharat is teaching the world how to win at it again.