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India has produced many chess grandmasters including Viswanathan Anand, Dibyendu Barua, Koneru Humpy, P Harikrisha, Vidit Gujrati, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa.
But did you you know that chess originated in India?
Chess traces its roots to India, where it was played as a war game called Chaturanga over 1,300 years ago.
Chaturanga, considered the earliest form of chess, dates back to the 6th century and is mentioned in Indian epics like Mahabharata.
Chaturanga featured four military divisions: elephants, horses, chariots and infantry, each of which had a different piece on the board.
The game spread from India to Persia and Arabia, then later evolved into local variants like Shogi in Japan and Xiangqi in China.
Arab traders and rulers introduced the game to Spain, from where it gradually spread throughout Europe.
The Persian word 'Shah' (king) became 'check' in English. 'Shah-Mat', meaning the king is helpless, became 'checkmate'.
After the 1917 Russian Revolution, chess gained state support and became a widely taught subject in schools.
Chess has transformed over the centuries, but its Indian origin is well-documented in historical records and global adaptations.
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