Young Indian chess minds find themselves in limbo NEW DELHI: In India’s ever-growing quest to become a sporting nation, chess is at a crucial juncture. Fresh off R Vaishali’s 2026 Women’s Candidates triumph, the country is now in for an even grander celebration as both Vaishali and Gukesh prepare for their World Cup matches. To many, it feels like a make-or-break phase, one that could shape the future of India’s chess ambitions for years to come. The 64-field game is indeed something on the rise and is gaining traction in a country evidently dominated by cricket.Just last week, eight-year-old Tamizh Amudhan from Tamil Nadu became an overnight sensation after beating world number seven Vincent Keymer in an online tournament. What fueled its virality was the image of a child prodigy playing by candlelight during a blackout, on a laptop with a dead battery, connected through his father’s mobile hotspot.
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Vincent Keymer Exclusive: Becoming Germany’s No. 1, Intimidating Magnus Carlsen and moreWhile nothing should detract from the significance of his victory over one of the world’s best players, offloading and playing on a hotspot during a power outage are only the tip of the iceberg of logistical and financial nightmares that often leave these chess stars of tomorrow and their families to fend for themselves.
“Parental tax” in chess
As long as you play on your mobile, tablet, computer or from the comfort of your home, chess remains available. But the moment you step out and start competing seriously, it starts burning your bank balance. Ask Yatin Sarabalia, father of 12-year-old FIDE (FM) champion Aarav Sarbalia, and see how he describes the financial black hole that is swallowing his family’s future.“Financially, everything comes from our savings,” Yatin told TimesofIndia.com. “Whatever savings we have are gradually being depleted and no new savings are being built. That’s definitely a problem.”
Aarav Sarbalia (Special Arrangement)
The cost to enter the elite circle is at least 12-15 thousand rupees per year for just three or four European trips.Since the players are minors, the cost is always doubled, a “parental tax” to be paid.“I go on one trip, my wife goes on the other, so my office work doesn’t affect it too much. In the meantime, one of us takes care of our daughter at home,” explained Yatin.
There is also bureaucratic absurdity
Even with money in hand, the path to the board of directors is blocked by bureaucratic absurdity. Yatin still remembers the Kafkaesque visa interview at the Hungarian embassy, which serves as a reminder of where the system needs to be improved.Despite being the runner-up in his age group, Aarav was treated like a cheater. “They interviewed Aarav and said he couldn’t play chess,” Yatin recalled. “They asked him questions from history like, ‘Who is the father of chess? Who is the mother of chess? Who is the king of chess?’ Then they told me he didn’t know the game.”It is a humiliation unique to an Indian chess parent, having to prove his child’s genius to an official who doesn’t know a fork from a pin, with thousands of rupees hanging in the balance for non-refundable flights.
Sponsorship like Oil India or BPCL usually starts at 16. But if younger kids are doing well why not for them?
Surender Lahoty, sire of Delhi Under 7 Champion, Aarini Lahoty
Tolls extend to the very streets of foreign cities. There is no handbook for parents and school fees are fraudulently paid for this.“People learn by mistakes. We spent a lot of unnecessary money learning things the hard way, where not to book cabs, when to use Uber, where scams happen,” revealed Yatin, who stays in Bengaluru. In the absence of a support system, parents are left to navigate predatory taxi drivers and logistical pitfalls in foreign countries on their own.“This kind of knowledge sharing is very limited. Parents usually don’t have practical knowledge of tournament logistics. You learn by being cheated.”
So why are they not playing in India?
When parents try to save money by playing in India, they hit another wall. In order for a player to earn a norm (a requirement for IM/GM titles), a tournament must maintain a strict rating average. In India, organizers often prioritize entry fees over professional integrity.“If a tournament says ‘Over 2100’ abroad, it means strictly over 2100,” explained Yatin. “Many 1800 or 1900 rated players are allowed in India at the last minute. This reduces the chances of norm significantly.”
Aarini Lahoty (special arrangement)
This lure drives parents back to the airport. Why spend weeks in Pune, Delhi or Chennai playing tournament after tournament when the desired norm is mathematically impossible before the first pawn is moved?Grandmaster Shyam Sundar M, who is a renowned coach in Chennai and knows what goes on in standard tournaments in India, acknowledges the practical difficulties for the organisers.“If some two or three players are cancelled, then the whole tournament and the standard is a bit confused,” he told the website, describing it as a fragile system where the absence of a single player can invalidate a year of efforts by a prodigy.
Why not play for India?
Vikram Rawat, a Delhi-based IT professional and father of Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025 Girls Under-10 gold medalist Vanshika Rawat, says his family’s experience on the international circuit has exposed the bitter reality behind the sport’s glamour.“When we won the Commonwealth and came back from Kuala Lumpur, nothing in the world had changed,” he said. “I realized that for the same money (2-2.5 lakh) you can go to Europe, get exposure and raise your ranking (by playing for better players). You don’t get the tag of ‘representing the country’, but for us the medals didn’t change anything.”
Vanshika Rawat (Special Arrangement)
Surender Lahoty, father of one of the country’s youngest FIDE-rated players and Delhi Under-7 champion, Aarini Lahoty, sums up the frustration of the early stage grind. “Sponsorships like Oil India or BPCL usually start at 16. But if the younger kids are doing well, why not for them?” he asked.The lack of support has reached the point where many parents are reconsidering whether they can afford to take their children to international tournaments representing India.“Obviously it was a kids age group tournament so I didn’t expect massive media coverage. But at least at the federation level to motivate the kids, there was no mention of it anywhere, neither from the state federation nor the national federation,” said Vikram.“As parents, it forces you to make difficult decisions. For example, we’re not even planning to travel this year, and that was very hard to accept. Commonwealth 2026 is this year, and I’ve already told Vanshica that we might not go.”READ ALSO: Vincent Keymer Exclusive: Being Germany’s No. 1, Intimidating Magnus Carlsen, Free Chess and More“This decision is based on what I learned from watching players who are older than her. Even after winning the national team, many of them choose not to play these tournaments for the country because the cost ends up doubling or tripling.”In this bleak hour, Shyam Sundar sees a shift coming as he said, “I see a positive trend…in Mumbai, Gujarat and Madurai. More and more Indian title players, IMs and GMs, have started playing these Indian open events. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of norm tournaments in India itself sooner.”
