'India should hold several high-level chess tournaments that would attract the world's top players so that the country will have a say in the game.'
Key Points
- India, with over 90,000 registered players and nearly 100 Grandmasters, is rapidly emerging as a major force in global chess, having produced two World Champions.
- Despite India's growth, the administration of global chess remains largely in European and Russian hands, highlighting a need for greater Asian influence.
- For India to gain significant influence, it needs to host more high-level international tournaments to attract top players and provide opportunities for Indian talent.
Could the centre of gravity of global chess shift from Europe to Asia -- and more specifically to India, the birthplace of the game?
Could the All India Chess Federation (AICF) become to global chess what the Board of Control for Cricket in India is to world cricket -- a powerful body with a strong voice in the management of the game?
Several factors point towards such a possibility.
And the question is not being raised merely because former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand has been appointed Interim President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and is now seeking re-election as its deputy president.
"Yes," say experts involved in Indian and international chess.
However, an experienced Indian chess administrator, speaking to this correspondent on condition of anonymity, sounded a note of caution.
"If that has to happen, big Indian industrialists and businessmen should take an interest in contesting the FIDE presidential elections," he said.
Today, India has more than 90,000 players registered with the AICF. The country has come a long way from the days when it was waiting for its first Grandmaster in the 1980s.
It is now just short of 100 Grandmasters, including women, besides having a large pool of International Masters. India has around 15 players among the world's top 100 in the open category and six in the women's category.
The country has produced two World Chess Champions -- Viswanathan Anand and D Gukesh -- placing it behind only the Soviet Union/Russia, which has produced around 10 champions.
The United States has also produced two World Champions.
Several other Indian players, in both the open and women's categories, are now firmly positioned among the world's elite.
Yet, despite India's impressive growth, the real power in the management of global chess continues to rest largely with the Europeans and Russians.
A Chess Growth Story Similar To Cricket
The rise of chess in India has several similarities with the growth of cricket, although the two games are vastly different in terms of their global reach.
Cricket is played seriously by a limited number of countries, while chess has a presence in nearly 200 nations.
India's unexpected victory over the then reigning champions, the West Indies, in the 1983 cricket World Cup transformed the sport's popularity in the country.
Cricket soon became almost a religion, with millions of Indians becoming regular television viewers.
The resulting popularity generated huge revenues for the BCCI through the sale of broadcasting rights.
The 1987 World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Pakistan, and the enormous revenues generated from broadcasting rights helped break the traditional duopoly of England and Australia over the game.
Indian chess followed a somewhat similar trajectory.
Anand's emergence as India's first Grandmaster and later as the country's first World Champion dramatically raised the profile of chess.
Indian middle-class families, traditionally focused largely on academic performance, began encouraging their children to take up chess.
There were two reasons for this: The belief that chess could improve academic performance and the perception that the competition was less intense than in cricket.
The result was the rapid expansion of India's entire chess ecosystem. Players, coaches, arbiters, tournament organisers and a range of related businesses and services began to flourish.
India has since produced a second World Champion in Gukesh, while several other players have emerged as potential future World Champions.
However, the influence over the administration and management of global chess has continued to remain primarily in European and Russian hands, with Asian countries yet to acquire a decisive voice.
Asia Emerging as a Major Chess Region
Powered by India, China and several other countries, Asia is steadily emerging as a major centre of global chess. India, experts say, can play a much larger role in the affairs of world chess -- but certain steps need to be taken.
"India should hold several high-level chess tournaments that would attract the world's top players so that the country will have a say in the game," former FIDE deputy president and Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly told this correspondent.
The same applies to China and the Arab world. India's successful hosting of major events, including the Chess Olympiad and the World Chess Championship, has enhanced the country's standing in the global chess community and with FIDE, a former senior AICF official said, requesting anonymity.
India has hosted several major international events, including the Chess Olympiad, World Chess Championship and World Junior Championship.
However, the country still does not host enough strong open tournaments that can attract the world's leading players and provide Indian players with opportunities to improve their ratings.
As a result, many upcoming Indian players from middle-class families spend lakhs of rupees travelling abroad to participate in tournaments, improve their ratings and earn chess titles.
"The times are changing, and many such tournaments and chess leagues are being held in India," the former AICF official said.
Need for Greater Political And Financial Influence
According to the former official, another important factor is the growing role of wealthy industrialists and businessmen in FIDE presidential elections.
As a matter of fact, the three contesting candidates for the FIDE's president post are businessmen.
"Given this scenario, only big industrialists and businessmen from India can look at the possibility of contesting in the FIDE polls. Further, in some cases, the governments of the contesting candidates do try to mobilise votes for them in a subtle manner," he said.
India has had industrialists at AICF's helm in the past. However, they did not seek to extend India's influence beyond the country's borders in the global chess arena.
The promoters of major Indian industrial groups have also supported chess at the domestic and international levels, but have largely not looked beyond sponsorship and business interests.
India, however, has experienced chess administrators who maintain strong relationships with officials of chess federations in several countries.
Their experience and contacts could be used to expand India's influence in global chess administration.
A Professional AICF Is Essential
The other crucial requirement is for the AICF to become a truly professional organisation, with clear systems, procedures and institutional mechanisms.
AICF, currently divided by internal differences, needs to function as a unified body for the benefit of everyone involved in India's chess ecosystem.
It must set aside factional disputes and work as one organisation, chess officials said.
India's growing strength in chess, combined with the emergence of Asia as a major economic and sporting power, could eventually alter the balance of power in global chess.
The day may not be far off when the elected president of FIDE comes from India -- or another Asian country, say people involved in the game.
Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com
