India’s rise in global chess is not bound to men anymore. The women’s side has quietly built serious depth, with a mix of experienced grandmasters and fearless young talents climbing the rankings.
Top 5 Women Chess Players in India
Based on current FIDE ratings, here are the top 5 women chess players from India right now-
| Player | Rating |
| Koneru Humpy | 2535 |
| Divya Deshmukh | 2510 |
| Dronavalli Harika | 2470 |
| R Vaishali | 2470 |
| Vantika Agrawal | 2374 |
1. Koneru Humpy
Born in Gudivada, India, Koneru Humpy showed early talent at the age of six, with assistance from her father and won local tournaments at eight.
She was only fifteen years old when she became the world’s youngest female Grandmaster, breaking Judit Polgár’s record set two years earlier!
Koneru was also the second woman ever to have an Elo rating above 2600. Consequently, she has received both the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri Award because of her remarkable accomplishments.
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2. Divya Deshmukh
The international master title was awarded to Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh in 2023, and in 2024, she won the FIDE World Junior Girls’ Chess Championship. She helped India win a gold medal in the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad, establishing herself as one of the most exciting young stars of Indian chess.
3. Dronavalli Harika
Harika Dronavalli is a very successful chess player. She was born in Guntur, India, in 1991 and became a Grandmaster in 2009, which shows that she was a promising player very early in her career.
Harika has won three bronze medals at the Women’s World Championships (2012, 2015 and 2017), and she won the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in 2016. She is the second woman in India to exceed 2600 in the Elo ratings and the recipient of the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri for her successes.
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4. Vaishali Rameshbabu
Vaishali Rameshbabu, who was born in 2001, received the Grandmaster title in 2024. She and her brother, R Praggnanandhaa, are the first brother-and-sister pair to earn the title of Grandmaster, as well as qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
5. Vantika Agrawal
Vantika Agrawal was born in September 2002 and has received both the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (IM) titles from FIDE. She is an accomplished player, having won three chess Olympiad gold medals, two of which were at the 45th Chess Olympiad held in 2024.
She also received a silver medal while playing on the Indian Team for the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou. Vantika was recently awarded the Arjuna Award in honour of her exceptional accomplishments.
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