Long before chess had a name, it had a battlefield in ancient India, four divisions of an army moving across 64 squares. Indian Chess History traces that fifteen-hundred-year line forward. Forgotten servants who beat world champions, sisters who forced FIDE’s hand, and the quiet Chennai clubs that built a nation of grandmasters all sit here.
Trivengadacharya Shastri was a Tamil Brahmin from Tirupati who wrote India’s first chess book, Essays on Chess, in 1814, under the patronage of the Peshwa. Read this article to know more about him!
Ramdass was a blindfold chess player from Kathiawar, called the "Phillidor of Western India" in 1839. Read what the sources actually say about him.
Ghulam Kassim (died 1844) was an early Indian chess player from Madras, remembered for an 1828 correspondence match against Hyderabad, an 1829 book, and two chess openings named after him.
John Cochrane was a Scottish barrister who led the Calcutta Chess Club, funded London 1851 and recorded hundreds of Indian games. Read about what survived.
Shyamacharan Ghatak beat John Cochrane, one of the strongest chess players in India at the time, more than 40 times without ever being given odds. Dive into a deep analysis of his game against Cochrane!
Mahesh Chandra Bannerjee, one of India's earliest recorded chess players, was an unbeaten villager from Bengal. Fortunately, his story and games are still with us through a travelogue. Read more!
