How India Became the Most Chess-Obsessed Country in the World
Local chess clubs across India are providing education and helping communities turn the game of kings into a route out of poverty.
SportsGNGV Editorial Team5 min readLast reviewed September 28, 2026
From its roaring metropolises to its bucolic villages, India has an enthusiasm for chess on par with professional basketball in the US. After 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest world chess champion ever in 2024, chess has become a golden ticket for young players.
But beyond elite academies, clubs around the country are using chess as a pathway to educational advancement and a route out of poverty. Research found that Indian schoolchildren who received chess training significantly improved their academic performance in math and science.
India now has about 90 grandmasters (up from 5 in 2000) and over 30,000 rated players. A three-year-old recently became the youngest player in history to earn an official rating.
