Top 100 Indian Chess Players Ranked by FIDE Ratings

Indian Chess Players

Chess is an ancient Indian game, originally known as Chaturanga, which translates as four divisions of the military: infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariots, represented by the pawns, bishops, rooks, and knights. Over the years, Indian chess players have made their motherland proud on the international stage. And when it comes to making our country proud, no one did that as well as Viswanathan Anand, India’s first chess Grandmaster. He has inspired the youth to play this game, and with all his success and achievements, he has become a role model.

In this article, we will provide you with a list of the top 100 Indian chess players according to FIDE ratings as of November 2024.

List Of Indian Chess Players – Top 100

Take a look at the list of the top 100 Indian Chess players based on FIDE rating as of November 2024:

RankIndian Chess players TitleRatingB-Year
1Anand, ViswanathanGrandmaster27561969
2Gukesh DGrandmaster27322006
3Erigaisi ArjunGrandmaster27282003
4Harikrishna, PentalaGrandmaster27171986
5Vidit, Santosh GujrathiGrandmaster27101994
6Praggnanandhaa RGrandmaster26872005
7Nihal SarinGrandmaster26732004
8Narayanan.S.LGrandmaster26631998
9Sethuraman, S.P.Grandmaster26451993
10Sasikiran, KrishnanGrandmaster26361981
11Aryan ChopraGrandmaster26292001
12Aravindh, Chithambaram VR.Grandmaster26251999
13Karthikeyan, MuraliGrandmaster26231999
14Sadhwani, RaunakGrandmaster26112005
15Vaibhav, SuriGrandmaster26101997
16Gupta, AbhijeetGrandmaster26071989
17Puranik, AbhInternational masteranyuGrandmaster26032000
18Adhiban, B.Grandmaster26031992
19Ganguly, Surya ShekharGrandmaster25891983
20Gopal G.N.Grandmaster25891989
21Harsha BharathakotiGrandmaster25822000
22Koneru, HumpyGrandmaster25741987
23Visakh N RGrandmaster25661999
24Narayanan, SrinathGrandmaster25591994
25Mendonca, Leon LukeGrandmaster25582006
26Lalit Babu M RGrandmaster25501993
27Ghosh, DiptayanGrandmaster25441998
28Iniyan, PGrandmaster25412002
29Pranav, VInternational master25302006
30Arjun KalyanGrandmaster25262002
31Aronyak GhoshInternational master25212003
32Shyam, Sundar M.Grandmaster25181992
33Stany, G.A.Grandmaster25101993
34Grover, SahajGrandmaster25091995
35Harika, DronavalliGrandmaster25071991
36Pranav AnandInternational master25022006
37Sankalp GuptaGrandmaster25022003
38Swapnil, S. DhopadeGrandmaster24991990
39Sengupta, DeepGrandmaster24971988
40Koustav ChatterjeeInternational master24962003
41Bharath Subramaniyam HGrandmaster24952007
42Rahul Srivatshav PGrandmaster24922002
43Debashis, DasGrandmaster24911993
44Shyaamnikhil PInternational master24891992
45Das, SayantanInternational master24891997
46Aditya MittalInternational master24862006
47Karthik VenkataramanGrandmaster24861999
48Vignesh N RInternational master24861998
49Krishna C R GInternational master24801991
50Gagare, ShardulGrandmaster24801997
51Mitrabha, GuhaGrandmaster24742001
52Chanda, SandipanGrandmaster24741983
53Ashwin, JayaramGrandmaster24711990
54Raja Rithvik RGrandmaster24702004
55Venkatesh, M.R.Grandmaster24701985
56Samant Aditya SInternational master24672006
57Rathanvel, V SInternational master24632001
58Ravi, Teja S.International master24621993
59Raja HarshitGrandmaster24612001
60Panchanathan, Magesh ChandranGrandmaster24601983
61Muthaiah ALInternational master24541999
62Deepan Chakkravarthy J.Grandmaster24511987
63Vaishali, RameshbabuInternational master24512001
64Prraneeth VuppalaInternational master24512007
65Dhulipalla Bala Chandra PrasadInternational master24491996
66Neelash SahaInternational master24462002
67Prithu GuptaGrandmaster24442004
68Pranesh MInternational master24422006
69Ajay KarthikeyanInternational master24412004
70Raghunandan, Kaumandur SrihariInternational master24412001
71Mohammad Nubairshah ShaikhInternational master24391998
72Das, ArghyadipInternational master24381985
73Srihari L RInternational master24362005
74Nitish BelurkarInternational master24352001
75Harshavardhan G BInternational master24332003
76Moksh Amit DoshiInternational master24302003
77Prasanna Raghuram RaoInternational master24201994
78Mehar, Chinna Reddy C.H.International master24181995
79Vishnu Prasanna. VGrandmaster24131989
80Thejkumar, M. S.Grandmaster24121981
81Savitha Shri BWomen International master24112007
82Harikrishnan.A.RaInternational master24092001
83Sammed Jaykumar, SheteInternational master24081999
84Nitin, S.International master24071992
85Anuj ShrivatriInternational master24072004
86Tania, SachdevInternational master24061986
87Aditya Vikram PaulFIDE Master24042007
88Barua, DibyenduGrandmaster24041966
89Saksham RautelaInternational master24012004
90Audi AmeyaInternational master24011999
91Souhardo BasakInternational master24002007
92Neelotpal, DasGrandmaster24001982
93Bitan, BanerjeeInternational master23981993
94Kushagra MohanCandidate master23952004
95Shahil DeyInternational master23952007
96Padmini, RoutInternational master23901994
97Mullick,RaahilInternational master23882007
98Panesar VedantFIDE master23872003
99Hari Madhavan N B23852003
100Ajay Krishna, SInternational master23831999

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Indian Chess players – Top 100 Players title

According to the International Chess federations (FIDE), out of the top 100 Indian Chess players based upon ranking in November 2024, 54 have received the Grandmaster (GM) title. Here is an overview of the titles won by the top 100 players:

Titles Number of Indian players
Grandmaster (GM)54
Women International Master (WIM)1
International Master (IM)41
FIDE Master (FM)2
Candidate Master (CM)1
No title1

Top 9 Indian Chess Players Based On The World Ranking

To emerge as talented in chess, one has to recognize the rules, apprehend patterns, assume quickly, practice, and evaluate one’s gameplay. Indians aren’t a long way back when it comes to excelling at a game whose original roots trace back to our very own country. Every chess player desires to achieve the highly proclaimed and prestigious title of “Grandmaster,” and many Indians have secured success in doing so, and there are many more to come soon.

The top 9 active Indian chess players have an average rating of 2701. Here are the top 10 Indian chess players who make it to the list of the top 100 chess players world ranked by FIDE:

Top 10 Indian Chess Players RatingStandard Rating World
Anand, Viswanathan27569
Gukesh D273218
Erigaisi Arjun272820
Harikrishna, Pentala271727
Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi271032
Praggnanandhaa R268748
Nihal Sarin 267360
Narayanan.S.L266372
Sethuraman, S.P. 264593

Let’s take a look at the top 9 Indian chess players and their playing styles.

Vishwanathan Anand

  • Birth Place: Tamil Nadu
  • Standard Rating- 2756
  • World Rank – 9
  • Titles – Grandmaster (1998) and International Master  (1985)

Viswanathan Anand, aka “The Madras Tiger”, also known as “Vishy Anand”, received his Grandmaster title in 1988. He is the undisputed champion when it comes to chess. Born and brought up in Tamil Nadu, he was an astounding chess player from a very early age. He is a three-year FIDE champion, and his winning streak started in 2007.

He has been conferred with the Arjuna Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, and Khel Ratna award by the Government of India. Anand’s style is distinguished by a deep understanding of chess and a good grasp of tactical opportunities and patterns. He surprised his opponents with great speed and agility as a young player.

Gukesh D

  • Birth Place: Chennai
  • Standard Rating- 2728
  • World Rank – 18
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2019), International Master (2018), and Candidate Master (2015)

Gukesh D is the third-youngest person in history to qualify for the title of Grandmaster. He learned to play chess at the age of seven and won the under-9 section of the Asian School Chess Championship in 2015. He also won five gold medals in the Asian Youth Chess Championships in 2018, U-12 individual rapid and blitz, U-12 team rapid and blitz, and U-12 individual classical formats.

Arjun Erigaisi

  • Birth Place: Telangana
  • Standard Rating- 2728
  • World Rank – 20
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2018), International Master (2018), FIDE Master (2017), and Candidate Master (2016)

Telangana-born Arjun Erigaisi is an Indian chess Grandmaster. Having earned the Grandmaster title at the young age of 14 in 2018, he became the 32nd youngest man ever to do so. Among the many Indian Grandmasters, he is the 54th one.

In 2015, Arjun bagged a silver medal in Korea’s Asian Youth Championship. In 2021, he became the first Indian to qualify for the Champions Chess Tour 2021. Having been placed 2nd in October 2021 at the Junior U21 Round Table Open Chess Championship (Classical), Bulgaria, in the very next month, he ranked 3rd/82 in the Lindores Abbey Blitz Tournament held in Riga. Later, he went on to win the Rapid section of the Tata Steel India Chess Tournament (Rapid and Blitz), followed by winning the Tata Steel Chess 2022 Challengers in January 2022.

As praised by Magnus Carlsen, “He plays chess in a way that I enjoy! You can just sense that he knows how to play!” He has a tremendous strategic eye and can switch between game styles effortlessly.

Harikrishna Pentala

  • Birth Place: Andhra Pradesh
  • Standard Rating – 2717
  • World Rank – 27
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2001) and International Master (2000)

The third rank in the best Indian chess players list is deservingly reserved for Harikrishna. In 2001, he conquered his Grandmaster norm, and he became the seventh player among the youngest ones to receive this prestigious title. He has shown skill and intelligence throughout his chess career with his consistent opening repertoire and solid game style.

Vidit Gujrathi

  • Birth Place: Maharashtra
  • Standard Rating- 2710
  • World Rank – 32
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2013), International Master (2009), and FIDE Master (2005)

Hailing from Nashik, Vidit received the Grandmaster norm back in 2013. In the year 2018, he successfully crossed the 2700 rating. He makes chess seem easy. He can introduce changes into his game quite quickly without affecting his results. Vidit may come across as a positional player, but he knows how to attack.

Praggnanandhaa R

  • Birth Place: Chennai
  • Standard Rating- 2687
  • World Rank – 48
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2018), International Master (2016), and FIDE Master (2013)

Born on 10th August 2005, Praggnanandhaa received the grandmaster title at the age of 12. On 22nd February 2022, at the age of 16, he became the youngest player to defeat the current world champion, Magnus Carlsen.

Praggnanandhaa is the youngest sibling of Women Grandmaster and International Master R Vaishali. Praggnanandhaa entered the Chess World Cup 2021 and defeated GM Gabriel Sargissian and GM Michał Krasenkow.

Nihal Sarin

  • Birth Place: Kerala
  • Standard Rating- 2673
  • World Rank – 60
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2018), International Master (2017), FIDE Master (2015), and Candidate Master (2014)

Famous for “chess genius” or “wizard” of India, he received the title of Grandmaster at 14 years old only. He is the first among the younger ones to have passed the 2600 rating points of FIDE. His calm composure has proved him unbeatable after expert chess players got Check-mated by him.

S.L. Narayanan

  • Birth Place: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
  • Standard Rating- 2663
  • World Rank – 72
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2016) and International Master (2014)

Having earned the Grandmaster title in 2016, Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan became the 41st Indian Grandmaster. In his initial years, he was professionally trained by former Kerala State Champion P. Sreekumar and later in his subsequent years by International Master Varugeese Koshy.

In 2014, he won the highest prize at the National junior championship. After succeeding in a decisive final round, he bagged a bronze medal at the 2016 World Junior Chess Championship. He emerged victorious in the Ellobregat Open 2019, his first tournament victory on foreign soil.

A man who always loves keeping the fighting spirit within him alive no matter what, his balanced playing style and razor-sharp mind have heavily contributed to his power-packed and consistent performances, making him one of the fastest-growing players in Indian Chess.

Sethuraman, S.P.

  • Birth Place: Madras
  • Standard Rating- 2645
  • World Rank – 93
  • Titles – Grandmaster (2011) and International Master (2007)

Sethuraman is an Indian grandmaster and Asian chess champion. He achieved the title of grandmaster in 2011 and International master in 2007. In 2014, Sethuraman took the team bronze medal with the Indian team at the 41st Chess Olympiad in Tromsø and won the Indian National Premier Championship.

Indian Chess Players – FAQS

What is the origin of chess?

Chaturanga is believed to have been invented about 1500 years ago and is the earliest known predecessor of chess. After that, the Arabians adapted Chaturanga to a game they named Shatranj. During the medieval period, it was embraced by the Europeans.

Who is India’s first woman Grandmaster in chess?

S. Vijayalakshmi is India’s first Grandmaster. In 2001, she became the first Indian woman to achieve the title.

Who is India’s first Chess sportsperson to receive the Padma Vibhushan?

Viswanathan Anand has received the Padma Vibhushan Award for his excellence in chess. The award was given to him in 2007.

When did Vishwanathan Anand win the World Champion title for Chess?

In 2007, Vishwanathan Anand won the World Champion title.