Blitz Bureau
THE crowning of Gukesh as the youngest-ever world champion is one of the most glorious chapters in Indian chess, The fact that India triumphed in both the Men’s and Women’s categories of the Chess Olympiad is a testimony to the renaissance of the Indian chess.
As of today, there are three Indians in the Top 10 rankings of the world men’s chess – Arjun Irigiasi at No, 4, Gukesh (No. 5), and Viswanathan Anand (No. 10).
A notable fact is that among the highest ranked players in the world, India has the maximum players with the top FIDE ratings – even more than Russia, something unconceivable a few years ago. The country seems to be like a conveyor belt, churning out one world-beater after another. After Viswanathan Anand’s exploits (five world titles), the Indian chess was on a downward graph in the 2010-2017 period, before the current wave of success. Blitz India attempts to understand the reasons as to why the chess juggernaut continues to roll for India.
One of the main reasons is that big money has percolated into the game .As per Bharat Singh Chauhan, Chairman of the Commonwealth Chess Federation and Deputy Chairman, Asian Chess Federation, the money component has undergone a big change.
“In the last five years, a decent chess player, who is active on the Indian and world circuit, can rake in decent amount of money. Gone are the days when chess players in India had a tough time to shell out money for their travel and stay while playing international tournaments,” he told Blitz India.
For Gukesh, the World Championships title came with a prize money of $600.000 (Rs 5 crore). Apart from this, the Tamil Nadu Government announced a cash award of Rs 5 crore for him.
“Gukesh walks away with a cool Rs 20 crore after this win, Apart from this, he would be earning anywhere in the range of Rs 1 to 2 crore annually just by playing in the international circuit.,” said Chauhan. “Those in the top 30 can earn up to Rs 30 to 40 lakh annually. Even B-listers earn very good money these days,” he said.
Coaches get rich
It is just not players who make so much money; coaches also earn a lot. Former players, who have Grandmaster (GM) norm, turn to coaching and make handsome amount of money. An Indian coach charges around Rs 25,000 per session. Since the coaches are limited, they earn almost Rs 10 crore monthly, said Chauhan. “Such an amount was unheard of in the game till about five years ago,” he said. So, a player’s income is not restricted to his playing days – it goes on even after retirement.
Sensing the surge of advanced training to excel at the highest level, high-end academies, like Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, have sprung up in Chennai. Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa are both products of this academy. Apart from this there are at least 15 academies across India which are managed by former players. There is a beeline to get admission to these academies despite the high fees they charge.
AICF tournaments
Another big factor which resulted in the spawning of young champions in India is the fact that the All India Chess Federation (AICF) conducts around 400 chess tournaments in a year. Most of these tournaments carry substantial prize money and attract top players from across the world. For instance, the Delhi international tournament carries a prize money of Rs 1.5 crore.
Similarly, there are bigger tournaments as well and young players like Gukesh and Pragya get their chance to play against the best in the world at a young age. In this way, the young Indian players get battle-hardened and have no inhibition when it comes to playing against the likes of five-time world champion Magnus Carlssen of Norway.
