CHESS PLAYERS from India

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Indian Chess Players of all time. This list of famous Indian Chess Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Indian Chess Players.

1. Viswanathan Anand (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 54.31, Viswanathan Anand is the most famous Indian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 87 different languages on wikipedia.

Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (born 11 December 1969) is an Indian chess grandmaster, a former five-time World Chess Champion and a record two-time Chess World Cup Champion. He became the first grandmaster from India in 1988, and he has the eighth-highest peak FIDE rating of all time. In 2022, he was elected the deputy president of FIDE. Anand defeated Alexei Shirov in a six-game match to win the 2000 FIDE World Chess Championship, a title he held until 2002. He became the undisputed world champion in 2007 and defended his title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Veselin Topalov in 2010, and Boris Gelfand in 2012. In 2013, he lost the title to challenger Magnus Carlsen, and he lost a rematch to Carlsen in 2014 after winning the 2014 Candidates Tournament. In April 2006, Anand became the fourth player in history to pass the 2800 Elo mark on the FIDE rating list, after Kramnik, Topalov, and Garry Kasparov. He occupied the number-one position for 21 months, the sixth-longest period on record. Known for his rapid playing speed as a child, Anand earned the sobriquet "Lightning Kid" during his early career in the 1980s. He has since developed into a universal player, and many consider him the greatest rapid chess player of his generation. He won the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in 2003 and 2017, the World Blitz Cup in 2000, and numerous other top-level rapid and blitz events. Anand was the first recipient of the Khel Ratna Award in 1991–92, India's highest sporting honour. In 2007, he was awarded India's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, making him the first sportsperson to receive the award.

2. Vidit Gujrathi (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 32.27, Vidit Gujrathi is the 2nd most famous Indian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (born 24 October 1994) is an Indian chess grandmaster. He is a double gold medalist at the Olympiad. He is also a silver medalist at the Asian Games. Gujrathi attained the title of grandmaster in January 2013, becoming the 30th player from India to do so. He is the fourth Indian player to have crossed the Elo rating of 2700. He became the third Indian to qualify for the Candidates tournament by winning Grand Swiss 2023.

3. R Vaishali (b. 2001)

With an HPI of 29.41, R Vaishali is the 3rd most famous Indian Chess Player.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Vaishali Rameshbabu (born 21 June 2001) is an Indian chess grandmaster. Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa are the first brother and sister to earn GM titles. They are also the first brother and sister to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.

4. Humpy Koneru (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 28.94, Humpy Koneru is the 4th most famous Indian Chess Player.  Her biography has been translated into 45 different languages.

Koneru Humpy (born 31 March 1987) is an Indian chess grandmaster. She's a runner-up of the World Championship and the winner of the World Rapid Championship 2019. In 2002, she became the youngest woman ever to achieve the title of Grandmaster aged 15 years, 1 month, 27 days. Humpy is a gold medalist at the Olympiad, Asian Games, and Asian Championship. She is also the first Indian female grandmaster. In October 2007, Humpy became the second female player, after Polgár, to exceed the 2600 Elo rating mark, being rated 2606.

5. Tania Sachdev (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 28.70, Tania Sachdev is the 5th most famous Indian Chess Player.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Tania Sachdev (born 20 August 1986) is an Indian chess player, who holds the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She is a two-time Indian women's chess champion in 2006 and 2007, one-time Asian women's chess champion in 2007 and three-time and current Commonwealth Women's Chess Champion in 2016, 2018, and 2019. She is also a chess presenter and commentator.

6. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (b. 2005)

With an HPI of 27.75, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is the 6th most famous Indian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 10 August 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster. As of 2 September 2024, Praggnanandhaa is ranked 12th in the world by the International Chess Federation. Praggnanandhaa and his sister Vaishali are the first brother and sister to earn GM titles. They are also the first brother and sister to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.

7. Pentala Harikrishna (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 25.13, Pentala Harikrishna is the 7th most famous Indian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Pentala Harikrishna (born 10 May 1986) is an Indian chess grandmaster. One of the most successful and decorated Indian chess players, he achieved a peak world ranking of 10 in November 2016, and a peak ELO rating of 2770 in December 2016. On 17 August 2001, he became the youngest Indian to attain the title of grandmaster, a record which was subsequently held by Koneru Humpy, Parimarjan Negi, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Gukesh Dommaraju in that order. He was Commonwealth Champion in 2001, World Junior Champion in 2004, and Asian Individual Champion in 2011. Harikrishna won the Tata Steel Group B in 2012 and the Biel MTO Masters Tournament Open event in 2013. He represented India at seven Chess Olympiads from 2000 to 2012 and won team Bronze at the World Team Chess Championships in 2010. At the Asian Team Championships, Harikrishna won team gold once, team silver twice and individual bronze once. In February 2013, Harikrishna achieved an Elo rating 2700 for the first time, only the third Indian player to do so.

8. Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 23.20, Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi is the 8th most famous Indian Chess Player.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi (born 25 March 1979) is an Indian chess player who holds the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM), the first female player in her country to achieve these titles. She has won more medals than any other player for India in the Chess Olympiads. She has won almost all national age group titles, including the senior title.

9. Harika Dronavalli (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 23.12, Harika Dronavalli is the 9th most famous Indian Chess Player.  Her biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Harika Dronavalli (born 12 January 1991) is an Indian chess player who holds the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM). She was part of the gold winning women's team at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024. She has won three bronze medals in the Women's World Chess Championship, in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Harika was honored with the Arjuna Award for the year 2007–08 by the government of India. In 2016, she won the FIDE Women's Grand Prix event at Chengdu, China and rose up from world no. 11 to world no. 5 in FIDE women's ranking. In 2019, she was awarded the Padma Shri for her contributions towards the field of sports.

10. Krishnan Sasikiran (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 23.06, Krishnan Sasikiran is the 10th most famous Indian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Krishnan Sasikiran (Tamil: கிருஷ்ணன் சசிகிரண்; born 7 January 1981) is an Indian chess grandmaster. He was one of Viswanathan Anand's seconds in the World Chess Championship 2013.