Checkmating the challenges in Indian chess

An institution is only as ambitious as its blueprint. Our development blueprint, 'Checkmating Challenges for Chess Development in Bharat', is anchored in three commitments: financial security for players, an India-first rating ecosystem, and a hosting calendar that brings the world to our doorstep.

An institution is only as ambitious as its blueprint. When we took charge of the All India Chess Federation in March 2024, we did so on the back of an unprecedented run of Indian success — Gukesh's Candidates win, the double gold at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Arjun Erigaisi crossing 2800, Divya Deshmukh becoming World Junior Champion. The question was not whether India had arrived. The question was whether our federation was institutionally ready to keep India at the top for the next two decades.

Our development blueprint, titled 'Checkmating Challenges for Chess Development in Bharat', is anchored in three commitments. First, financial security for players: monthly contracts for our top juniors between INR 20,000 and INR 50,000 for two years, and annual retainers of INR 25 lakhs for our top five FIDE-rated players. No Indian child with the talent for the world stage should ever quit the board because the home economics do not add up.

Second, an India-first rating ecosystem. India will build its own national rating system, eventually delivered as an app with a personal dashboard for every player. Our target is one million registered players, with participation kept at roughly one rupee a day. The point is not to replace FIDE — the point is to bring 99 percent of Indian players, who today have no rating, into a structured pathway.

Third, a hosting calendar. India hosted the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa — the event's return after twenty-three years. We will keep bidding, because hosting builds the ecosystem: arbiters, broadcasters, organisers, sponsors, schools. The world champion is a player. The world's chess capital is a country.