Maybe you have heard of the soccer World Cup, but did you know that there is a World Cup in chess as well? It began in 2000, though there have been international tournaments since the 1980s. Throughout the twentieth century, the world chess scene was dominated by Russian and European players. For example, there has only ever been one American world chess champion: Bobby Fischer. He beat the Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky in the 1972 World Chess Championship.
Recently, however, there has been an interesting shift in the chess world, as Indian players begin to take center stage for the first time. Here, btw takes a closer look at this exciting trend.
Ancient Roots
Many historians agree that today’s chess originated from an ancient Indian board game called chaturanga. From India, the game spread throughout the world as people encountered each other through trade or war. But it wasn’t until recently that India was thought to be a significant player on the world chess stage. Today, India has 88 “grand masters”–a title given only to the very best players in the world.
The Role of Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic played a big role in the growth of chess’s popularity in general. During lockdown, some people filled their free time by teaching themselves to play chess. They watched videos and challenged one another online. While this happened all over the world, India–with its population of 1.4 billion people–is one of the places that saw the biggest boom in the sport.
Increasing Opportunities
India places great value on academics and de-emphasizes sports and extracurricular activities. Until recently, most Indian parents thought of chess as nothing more than a hobby that took valuable time away from schoolwork.
But it is possible now for a good player to make a living playing chess. India has a huge population and there is a challenge to provide well-paying jobs for everyone. Therefore, some Indian parents have encouraged their children’s participation in the sport. In fact, some of them bring children as young as three years old to special chess academies to learn from chess grand masters.
In India today, being a successful chess player can lead to many desirable opportunities. The Indian government awards high-ranking players with sought-after government jobs. This can provide a reliable monthly income, housing, insurance, and job security. Players can also win prize money at tournaments, or secure jobs for themselves as chess coaches.
Breaking the Language Barrier
However, until recently, most Indian chess players faced a major barrier: most manuals and how-to materials about chess are written in English. Luckily, two years ago, a man named Venkatesh Enumalai started a channel on YouTube to teach the basics of chess in Tamil, a language spoken by 80 million Indians.