History of Chess in India

The game of chess is widely believed to have originated in India where the game was known as Chaturanga. The game is symbolic of the four units or divisions of the erstwhile armies comprising elephants, horses, chariots and soldiers on foot. The Persians subsequently created a more recognizable version of the game called Shatranj.

During the British Raj, chess received patronage of the princes of the erstwhile princely states and players like Mir Sultan Khan of Punjab excelled at the international level. Sultan Khan not only won the British chess championship in 1929, 1932 and 1933 but also represented Britain in three chess Olympiads.

Post-independence, the All India Chess Federation was founded in 1951 and the first official National Chess Championship was held at Eluru (Andhra Pradesh). Initially, the National Chess Championship used to be held every alternate year but since 1971 it is being held every year.