Checkmate Meets Controller: How Chess and Esports Are Colliding in India

AceDROO
3 days ago
4 min read

🧠 From Chaturanga to Checkmate 2.0

India and chess? That is an association that is earlier than time. Whether in the corridors at school or during a peaceful Sunday spent with grandparents, chess always found a place here. However, fast-forward to 2025 and it is a hell of a lot more techy and in all honesty, a hell of a lot cooler.

Chess is no more the game of sitting at the board in silence these days. It is broadcasted on Twitch, it is popular on YouTube, and it is being mentioned in the same stream as PUBG or Valorant. Hello, world, to the time when it seems like the official part of the esports world incorporates chess as well, and India is at the center of this crazy bar-mix.

🔥 Chess Gets the Esports Upgrade

The game of chess has become a fast-paced, gamified interaction with the help of digital services such as Chess.com or Lichess. It is about the timed matches, the Artificial Intelligence-driven opponents, daily puzzles, and huge online tournaments.

The PogChamps event has demonstrated the potential of chess to be entertaining provided it is combined with influencer power. Throw in a couple of hyperblitz matches, a tab bit of chessboxing (yep, that too), and you have the format that even people who do not play enjoy watching.

In India, it is all action on these platforms in the weekends, lightning-fast matches, viral shorts, creators dropping fresher contents more often than ever.

🇮🇳 India's Role: Not Just Playing the Game, But Changing It

It is time to be honest the game was changed by Samay Raina (literally). A comedian streaming chess on YouTube? Who would have expected it! It was this that made it successful. His off-the-cuff interviews with the top rank in the game such as Sagar Shah, Vidit Gujrathi, Tania Sachdev, and Nihal Sarin have brought the game out of the dark and are blasting their streams into our YouTube videos.

The Comedians on Board (COB) show was a revolutionary one. It was not winning that mattered but the laughs, the drama, the memes and the reaching of a huge live audience. It turned chess into something cool, competitive and awfully entertaining to watch.

Even the top players such as Vidit and Tania, have jumped into the content wagon. They are broadcasting, teaching, communicating with their fans in the manner which would have been impossible a couple years ago.

💼 Esports Meets Bishops: Collaborations & Sponsorships

The crossover is real around the world. When Hikaru Nakamura joined Misfits Gaming, do you remember? The latter demonstrated that chess can be placed on the same table as League of Legends or Valorant.

Back at home, the great news? Nihal Sarin, the @s8ul.esports player just secured the Chess Main Event at the EWC 2025 with the Last Chance Qualifier. That is massive, not only to Nihal, but of Indian chess as a whole in esports.

Check out the video on Instagram.

And brands? Oh, they’re paying attention. Be it energy drink sponsors, mobile and edtech partnerships or anything in between, one thing is clear companies are waking up to the fact that chess is a content goldmine.

🧑‍💻 Why Indian Youth Are Hooked

So what’s got Gen Z and millennials logging in and tuning into chess streams?

It’s fun to watch: Samay’s chaos + Vidit’s calm + Sagar’s innocence = content gold.
It’s everywhere: YouTube, Twitch, Instagram Reels — take your pick.
It’s accessible: A decent smartphone and internet is all you need.
It’s free: No subscriptions or gaming rigs required.
It’s social: From Discord groups to Insta Lives, the chess fam is growing.
It’s rewarding: Platforms offer leaderboards, badges, and daily goals. Instant dopamine hit.

Chess used to feel intimidating. Now, it’s your favorite creator cracking jokes mid-match, or a friend sending you a puzzle challenge on WhatsApp.

🚀 What’s Next for India’s Chess x Esports Scene?

The momentum is just getting started. Here’s what we might see in the coming months:

Online State Leagues: Imagine state vs state chess battles, livestreamed with crowd voting and live commentary.
Influencer Chessboxing: Physical + mental showdown? You know it’ll go viral.
Interactive Coaching Platforms: Think Byju’s meets Chess.com, with real-time feedback and gamification.
AI-Driven Tools: Personalised learning, mistake analysis, and strategy suggestions.
Campus Clubs 2.0: Colleges adding esports chess teams to fests and tournaments.
Brand Collabs: From merch drops to esports jerseys with chess icons — it’s all on the table.

The future? A beautiful blend of tradition and tech.

🎯 Final Take: India’s Chess Scene Just Hit “Start”

Cricket has been and probably forever will be called the king of Indian sport, but chess? It is the rags-to-riches story.

India is reinventing the rulebook of chess with streamers making it a fad, brands turning it into a lucrative affair, and players such as Nihal Sarin popularizing it around the globe. And the most wonderful thing is? It does not matter whether you are a grandmaster to belong to it.

It could be at your commuter puzzles, old streams you breezed through Samay, or even if you want to start your own channel, this is your checkmate moment.