With regard to chess, India has emerged as a new powerhouse. Indian chess players have left their imprint on the world stage time and time again, from the renowned Viswanathan Anand to a new crop of prodigies who are sweeping major competitions. Over 85 Grandmasters have been produced in India as of 2025, and the number is still rising annually. In addition to answering the commonly asked topic of how many grandmasters there are in India, this in-depth guide will take you through the entire list of Indian grandmasters and give you a brief overview of how India came to be known as a global centre for chess.
What Is a Grandmaster in Chess?
The top title given by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the organisation that oversees chess worldwide, is Grandmaster (GM). A player must fulfil stringent performance requirements in order to obtain this title, such as obtaining high tournament ratings and GM “norms” through outstanding performances versus other named players in international competitions.
How Many Grandmasters Are There in India?
India has 87 Grandmasters as of June 2025. Over the past 20 years, this number has increased significantly, placing India among the top nations in the world for the number of active GMs. Legends, prodigies, and up-and-coming talents who have demonstrated their abilities in national and international tournaments are included in this list of Indian chess grandmasters.
Complete Indian Chess Grandmaster List (as of 2025)
Here is the complete list of Indian chess grandmasters in chronological order, based on the year they achieved the GM title:
- 1987 – Vishwanathan Anand, Tamil Nadu
- 1991 – Dibyendu Barua, West Bengal
- 1997 – Pravin Thipsay, Maharashtra
- 2000 – Abhijit Kunte, Maharashtra
- 2000 – K Sasikiran, Tamil Nadu
- 2001 – Pentala Harikrishna, AndhraPradesh
- 2002 – Koneru Humpy, Andhra Pradesh
- 2003 – Surya Sekhar Ganguly, West Bengal
- 2003 – Sandipan Chanda, West Bengal
- 2004 – RB Ramesh, Tamil Nadu
- 2004 – Tejas Bakre, Gujarat
- 2006 – P.Magesh Chandran, Tamil Nadu
- 2006 – Deepan Chakravarthy, Tamil Nadu
- 2006 – Neelotpal Das, West Bengal
- 2006 – Parimarjan Negi, Delhi
- 2007 – GN Gopal, Kerala
- 2008 – Abhijeet Gupta, Rajasthan
- 2008 – S.Arun Prasad, Tamil Nadu
- 2009 – S.Kidambi, Tamil Nadu
- 2009 – RR Laxman, Tamil Nadu
- 2010 – Sriram Jha, Delhi
- 2010 – Deep Sengupta, West Bengal
- 2010 – B Adhiban, Tamil Nadu
- 2011 – SP Sethuraman, Tamil Nadu
- 2011 – Harika Dronavalli, Andhra Pradesh
- 2012 – Lalith Babu M R, Andhra Pradesh
- 2012 – Vaibhav Suri, Delhi
- 2012 – MR Venkatesh, Tamil Nadu
- 2012 – Sahaj Grover, Delhi
- 2013 – Vidit Gujrathi, Maharashtra
- 2013 – Shyam Sundar M, Tamil Nadu
- 2013 – Akhshayraj Kore, Maharashtra
- 2013 – Vishnu Prasanna,Tamil Nadu
- 2013 – Debashis Das, Odisha
- 2013 – Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury, West Bengal
- 2014 – Ankit Rajpara, Gujarat
- 2015 – Aravindh Chithambaram, Tamil Nadu
- 2015 – Karthikeyan Murali, Tamil Nadu
- 2015 – Ashwin Jayaram, Tamil Nadu
- 2015 – Swapnil S Dhopade, Maharashtra
- 2015 – SL Narayanan, Kerala
- 2016 – Shardul Gagare, Maharashtra
- 2016 – Diptayan Ghosh, West Bengal
- 2016 – Priyadarshan K, Tamil Nadu
- 2017 – Aryan Chopra, Delhi
- 2017 – Srinath Narayanan, Tamil Nadu
- 2017 – Himanshu Sharma, Haryana
- 2017 – Anurag Mhamal, Goa
- 2017 – Abhimanyu Puranik, Maharashtra
- 2017 – Thej Kumar M S, Karnataka
- 2018 – Saptarshi Roy, West Bengal
- 2018 – Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa,Tamil Nadu
- 2018 – Nihal Sarin, Kerala
- 2018 – Erigaisi Arjun, Telangana
- 2018 – Karthik Venkataraman, Telangana
- 2018 – Harsha Bharathakoti, Telangana
- 2018 – P Karthikeyan, Tamil Nadu
- 2018 – Stany George Anthony, Karnataka
- 2019 – Visakh N R, Tamil Nadu
- 2019 – Dommaraju Gukesh, Tamil Nadu
- 2019 – PanneerselvamIniyan, Tamil Nadu
- 2019 – Swayams Mishra, Odisha
- 2019 – Girish Koushik, Karnataka
- 2019 – Prithu Gupta, Delhi
- 2019 – Raunak Sadhwani, Maharashtra
- 2020 – Akash Ganesan, Tamil Nadu
- 2020 – Leon Mendonca, Goa
- 2021 – Arjun Kalyan, Tamil Nadu
- 2021 – Harshit Raja, Maharashtra
- 2021 – Raja Rithvik, Telangana
- 2021 – Sankalp Gupta, Maharashtra
- 2021 – Mitrabha Guha, West Bengal
- 2022 – Bharath Subramaniyam, Tamil Nadu
- 2022 – Rahul Srivatshav P, Telangana
- 2022 – V Pranav, Tamil Nadu
- 2022 – Pranav Anand, Karnatka
- 2022 – Aditya Mittal, Maharashtra
- 2023 – Koustav Chatterjee, West Bengal
- 2023 – Pranesh M, Tamil Nadu
- 2023 – Vignesh N R, Tamil Nadu
- 2023 – Sayantan Das, West Bengal
- 2023 – Vuppala Prraneeth, Telengana
- 2023 – Aditya Samant, Maharashtra
- 2023 – Vaishali Rameshbabu, Tamil Nadu
- 2024 – Shyaam Nikhil P, Tamil Nadu
- 2025 – Srihari LR, Tamil Nadu
Men and women are represented on the Indian grandmaster list, and notable figures in Indian chess include Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and R Vaishali.
Youngest Grandmasters in India
One of the most exciting aspects of Indian chess today is the rise of young prodigies. These are some of the youngest Indian grandmasters:
- Gukesh D – Became GM at just 12 years, 7 months (2019)
- R Praggnanandhaa – Achieved GM title at 12 years, 10 months
- Nihal Sarin – Became GM at 14
- Raunak Sadhwani – Achieved GM title at 13
These players have not just earned the GM title but are also competing neck-to-neck with global elites.
Women Indian Grandmasters
While FIDE distinguishes between Grandmaster (GM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM), several Indian women have crossed over to the higher GM title:
- Koneru Humpy – GM (2002)
- Dronavalli Harika – GM (2011)
- Vaishali Rameshbabu – GM (2023)
- Tania Sachdev – WGM & International Master (IM)
These Indian chess players have paved the way for more girls to take up the sport seriously, resulting in a robust ecosystem for women in Indian chess.
India’s Role in Global Chess
India is now considered one of the top nations in chess globally. Here’s why:
- Olympiad Success: India won gold in the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad and bronze in 2022.
- Youth Programs: Initiatives like Khelo Chess India and Chess in Schools have introduced the game to millions.
- Chess Academies: Institutes like ChessBase India, Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), and various state-run centers are training future GMs.
- Digital Push: With online platforms like Chess.com and Lichess, Indian kids from remote towns can play against international opponents daily.
Conclusion
India’s chess journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. The nation has solidified its position as a chess giant, going from having only one Indian grandmaster in 1988 to having 87 and counting now. The commitment of players, coaches, and organisations who put forth endless effort to develop brilliance is demonstrated by this list of chess grandmasters.
You now know the answer to the question of how many grandmasters there are in India, along with the names that go along with it. This list provides an insight into India’s strategic genius and intellectual heritage, regardless of whether you’re a chess enthusiast, a novice player, or someone who is just fascinated by the nation’s supremacy in the 64-square arena.
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