How Gukesh Dommaraju’s Win boosts India’s Chess Revolution

Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion and he only boosts India’s status as a chess powerhouse.

How Gukesh Dommaraju's Win boosts India's Chess Revolution

"A child learns before taking each move"

Gukesh Dommaraju made history by becoming the youngest world chess champion, cementing India’s status as a growing powerhouse in a sport once dominated by Russia.

The 18-year-old defeated China’s Ding Liren after the latter made a catastrophic blunder.

Dommaraju’s win netted him £1.96 million in prize money as well as an entry into one of the most exclusive clubs.

The Chennai native learnt the chess rules at the age of seven. Five years later, he became a Grandmaster.

But it wasn’t always easy.

In the post-game press conference, Dommaraju highlighted the financial hardships faced by his parents, who at one point had to take loans just to be able to send him to tournaments.

Gukesh Dommaraju is one of the new crop of Indian chess sensations, with four of the world’s top 10 being his countrymen.

India’s rise in chess was triggered by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who was the country’s first Grandmaster in 1988. There are now over 80 in India.

In 2024, India won the Chess Olympiad, defeating the US and China. And India’s chess scene shows no signs of slowing down.

Training from a Young Age

How Gukesh Dommaraju's Win boosts India's Chess Revolution - young

Chess coach Sai Dinesh Garikipati started the Warrior Chess Academy in Hyderabad.

He said the chess boom came when India hosted the Chess Olympiad in 2022. The event had teams from 186 countries and attracted enormous media attention.

Garikipati began expanding and opened two more branches, with a total of 200 students per year.

He now believes Gukesh Dommaraju’s victory will further boost interest in chess.

His academy, one of many across India, caters to children as young as five, and according to Garikipati, the “parent’s attitude is that chess develops reasoning skills and calculation”.

Garikipati added: “A child learns before taking each move, to find out what are the advantages and the disadvantages.

“Even for (college) entrance exams, or board exams, such reasoning skills are needed.”

India’s chess infrastructure, inspired by the Soviet Union but highly decentralised, reflects the aspirations of its 100-million-strong middle class.

Chess is also becoming increasingly popular as a spectator sport.

The YouTube stream of Chessbase India attracts hundreds of thousands of viewers and while other broadcasts mostly feature sober-looking Grandmasters in suits and ties, the Indian show is a big contrast.

It has four hosts, including a stand-up comedian.

The stream is in front of a live audience who cheer and shout.

Chess matches can last up to seven hours, which can be a difficult sell for advertisers and viewers. But by injecting energy and creativity into their productions, ChessBase India has successfully transformed the ancient game into a modern streaming sensation, appealing directly to casual players.

Apart from Gukesh Dommaraju, stars like 21-year-old Arjun Erigaisi, ranked 4th globally, are gaining prominence.

Erigaisi, who honed his skills online, represents a new generation excelling in ultra-fast, tactical play, fuelled by India’s cheap internet and widespread access to online chess platforms.

How were a New Generation of Champions Created?

How Gukesh Dommaraju's Win boosts India's Chess Revolution - pop

While online chess is a factor in the new wave of India’s chess champions, the foundation was laid much earlier.

It goes back to the late 1990s.

The Soviet Union had dissolved and its repository was spreading throughout the world.

Leading coach N Ramaraju said: “It was a revolution.”

His comment was in reference to the 12-book series on the opening by former Russian champion Alexander Khalifman making its way to India.

This was in the early 2000s when training materials were almost non-existent in India.

During chess tournaments, there was a thriving trade in Xerox copies of books dealing with opening theory imported from the West.

Thanks to repeated photocopying, the moves would be so faded that reading them was similar to deciphering hieroglyphics.

Ramaraju said: “It was a milestone, based on that, youngsters began learning opening knowledge.

“Till then, we didn’t know how to work, or even the process.”

As a player, Ramaraju relied on books and later developed a training curriculum rooted in Soviet strategies, a foundation widely adopted by Indian coaches.

Traditionally, Indian players relied on instinct during the opening phase, often leading to losses against “booked-up” Soviet and Western opponents.

But by the mid-2000s, better access to chess literature and computer analysis helped Indian players close the gap.

There was another surge in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ramaraju said:

“You can divide Indian chess, before lockdown and after lockdown.”

Chess moved online and it meant that those who could not afford to play tournaments abroad could now compete.

Ramaraju said they became confident because they competed against the world’s best from such an early age.

Gukesh Dommaraju’s victory not only cements India’s status as a rising chess superpower but also symbolises a larger revolution in the sport’s landscape.

From grassroots academies adopting Soviet-era rigour to platforms like ChessBase India energising global audiences, the chess ecosystem in India is thriving.

Enhanced access to resources, coupled with a generation of players honing their skills online, has bridged gaps that once held Indian talent back.

As the nation celebrated Dommaraju’s triumph, with congratulatory messages pouring in from figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sachin Tendulkar, the young prodigy was already looking ahead.

His aspiration to defend his title and compete against a fellow Indian in a World Championship reflects the unstoppable momentum of Indian chess.

Gukesh Dommaraju’s win isn’t just a milestone – it’s a preview of India’s enduring dominance on the global chess stage.

Lead Editor Dhiren is our news and content editor who loves all things football. He also has a passion for gaming and watching films. His motto is to "Live life one day at a time".




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