Message from India’s chess boom | Chess news

Despite the overwhelming number of young Indian general managers, becoming a professional chess player is a daunting task.
D Gukesh’s incredible run that earned him the right to challenge Ding Liren for the world crown is cause for great celebration. The same goes for the rise of other young Indian sensations. But with caution.

The overall competition in the 64 squares game is intense. The market only pays elite players decently and supports only a few young people in their difficult times.

The age factor is vital because middle-class Indians want their children to find their career path and earn enough money by the age of 25 or so.

Apart from Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Raunak Sadhwani – who have reached the next level – there are only two other Indians aged between 17 and 20 who are currently in the Elo 2600+ bracket. They are Aditya Mittal and Léon Menonca. Very few countries have such players: the United States and Uzbekistan have only two each.

But even if you reach the Elo 2600+ range between 17 and 20 years old, the next step to enter the world top 20 is still around 120 Elo points.

It requires money, hard work, vision and luck. Players run out of time and money and disappear from the radar. The desire to work hard is also severely beaten.
Now, to access Elo 2400 between ages 14 and 16, you must be “at least Elo 1900” at age 12 or younger. We assume here a jump of 500 Elo within two to four years.

India has around twenty players aged 12 or younger with at least 1900 Elo. So, even by the generous law of averages, if we move five players from this bracket to the next hitting level (which is Elo 2400 between ages 14 and 16), we will have less than 30 of these players by 2028 – in assuming new additions. at this time each year. Of these, only a handful will have a serious chance of becoming elite chess players unless the training system and funding for chess in states and cities receives a major boost. This is the harsh reality.

The AICF (national federation) last week announced a budget of Rs 65 crore to strengthen state associations and the entire Indian chess ecosystem. This includes cash rewards for the top 10 FIDE-ranked players in the men’s and women’s sections – to the tune of around Rs 4 crore per year. While this is an encouraging step, its effective execution and long-term feasibility remain a concern.

GUKESH’S PROGRESS
– At ages 7-10-12-16-17, he became a ranked player, reaching Elo 1900, Elo 2400, Elo 2700 and WCC Candidate respectively. Pragg and Arjun had similar timelines, with a few years here and there to reach the above milestones. Vidit Gujrathi was a relatively late bloomer being a general manager at 19, Elo 2700 at 23 and a candidate at 29.

– Current elite players outside India who have fulfilled the perceived requirement of reaching Elo 1900 by the age of 12 and Elo 2400 by the age of 14 are Alireza Firouzja (France, 20 , Elo 2737 now), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan, 19 years old, Elo 2765), Vincent Keymer (Germany, 19 years old, Elo 2726) and Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran, 23 years old, Elo 2732)

– Only 4 Indians aged 14 or below have an Elo strength of 2400 or more – AR Ilamparthi, Adiga Sathvik, Ethan Vaz and Mayank Chakraborty. It is believed that meeting this condition is the only way to expect Elo 2600 or higher between the ages of 17 and 20.

(All figures in the report are as per FIDE May rating list. Figures may have minor errors as FIDE data is not perfect due to huge numbers and possibility of entries two fold.)