Ever since India’s first ever chess Grandmaster (GM) Viswanathan Anand burst onto the world scene in the year 1988 and gained prominence across the country, many Indians have been looking to pursue chess as a profession. As of today, India has produced 66 Grandmasters, out of which 21 have emerged in the past 3 years alone. 8 of these GMs fall within the age group of 10 & 19. So what has led to this recent spike in Grand Masters emerging from India? Although a big portion of the credit is due for expert & experienced coaches, a significant part of the credit is of online gaming.

Simply speaking, money is essential for reaching the GM level and then for climbing the ranks. From international travel expenses for competing against the best players in the world to availing highly expensive training from renowned coaches, money is very much required to scale up the ranks in the chess world. This is where online gaming has furnished an extremely profitable opportunity for chess aspirants by offering them the platform to constantly win real money by winning matches in online tournaments.

With the rising accessibility of cheap smartphones and high-speed internet along with role models such as Viswanathan Anand in the country, India has all the tools required to emerge as an international giant in the world of chess. The day won’t be far when India will have over 25 GMs in the top 100 as opposed to the 3 we have today.