Where does Pakistan Stand in World Chess Today ?

Chess has never been just a board game that is played just for fun purposes. In fact, it is considered as a mind sport and  game of intellect, logic, patience and strategy. All over the globe, countries are working everyday to promote chess and investing heavily in chess to produce grandmasters, hosting as many FIDE rated tournaments and incorporating chess in education systems as a permanent.

Based on assessment and strength, Russia,  China, US, India, and France are considered major power houses of Chess with many grandmasters including Gukesh, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja and Ding Liren etc. Pakistan is not yet considered as the leading chess nations and is still a developing chess nation and according to FIDE’s 2026 classification Pakistan is at Chess Development Level 3 which determines that we still have a long way to go. With an average rating of 1956 Pakistan stands on 135th rank according to the FIDE federation based on the average ratings of top 10 players  in May 2026.

Pakistan is  no longer a country with no chess movement, with a brief history and legacy of Mian Sultan, young players taking new initiatives, academies playing their part, schools investing in adding chess in their curriculum, everyone is trying to play their role in including Pakistan among the top nations on a global stage.

History of Chess in Pakistan

Even before independence chess was played among pakistani people but following independence in 1947, organized competitive chess was developed more formally in the country.

Our beloved country’s chess history included national championships, junior and senior championships, organization of local and FIDE rated tournaments in different cities and rapid development of chess clubs and academies. The First Women Chess Championship was organized in year 2000 marking another milestone in the history. 

Mian Sultan Khan, Pakistan’s Chess Legend

Mian Sultan Khan ( 1903 - 1966 ) learned chess at a very young age from his father and he became one of the strongest chess players of Punjab. Despite having limited exposure, and resources he tried his best to adapt the international version of this game and won the British Chess Championship not one not two but three times in year 1929, 1932 and 1933. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to achieve the Grandmaster title as the FIDE modern title system did not exist during his career. He achieved international chess greatness during his m own times when access to different chess books, international coaches, and theory was very limited. His achievement is a reminder for the whole nation that Pakistan has potential and it’s not new and existed even before professional coaching online chess were a thing. 

Major Gap (Missing Grandmaster)

In the field of chess, we have many talented players, young chess enthusiasts but the major and one of the biggest challenges is that the nation is unable to produce its First Grandmaster yet. The talent of these players has not translated into achieving the biggest title by FIDE yet. The journey to achieve this title is still unfinished and the whole nation is still waiting for one  of the players to cross that threshold and make his mark in history.

Where do We Stand Today?

The ranking of Pakistan on the global stage clearly reflects the challenges the nation is facing. Due to these challenges, unlike leading chess nations, we just have few limited titled players in our country. Challenges we’re facing include:

1. Limited sponsorship opportunities

2. Lack of consistent international tournaments

3. Fewer Chess Academies 

4. Little to no media coverage

5. Low fundings

Despite the above challenges, young players are working hard investing their time, continuing their participation in regional, national and international tournaments but addressing these issues and working on these areas will help us present our nation on greater international competitiveness.

Signs of Growth in Pakistan’s Chess Community 

There are many positive developments in the field of chess recently and one of them is the rise of young chess players all over Pakistan. Parents are more aware of the benefits of chess for kids in educational field including:

1. Improved concentration

2. Better focus

3. Decision making skills

4. Ability to plan ahead

5. Discipline and patience

6. Critical thinking skills

Active centers of Youth Chess Developments are cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. 

Impact of Online Chess

Online chess platforms are the major reason for the rise of chess in Pakistan as players have access to online chess platforms like Chess.com, Lichess.org, Chess4kids etc. Players have access to

1. Free puzzles, and lessons from elite players from industry,

2. Live tournaments,

3. Informative videos, and many more

Learning from Neighborhood Country (India)

India has become one of the leading chess nations in the world and they achieved this success through,

1. Grassroot developments

2. Chess in educational institutes,

3. Govt. and private sponsorships,

4. Regular tournaments,

5. International coaching exposure.

To strengthen our eco system, we can adopt similar strategies. 

Role of Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP)

The Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP) is majorly focusing on youth chess development, tournaments and chess in educational institutes. Its main goal is to promote chess and build connections with the international chess community.

1. Tournaments: CFP is focusing on organizing tournaments, national, junior and senior championships, tournaments for women to give an opportunity to chess contenders to gain competitive experience. 
2. Chess in Schools: To make chess accessible for kids, CFP is taking initiatives to introduce chess in schools all over Pakistan and train teachers so more people can benefit from this.
3. Supporting International Participation: CFP is facilitating chess enthusiasts so they can participate in international tournaments and gain valuable experience.
4. Partnerships: CFP is collaborating with government bodies, FIDE and educational institutes to expand chess opportunities.

The consistent efforts of CFP and support of these organizations can help Pakistan develop more competitive and passionate chess players and strengthen its position in world chess. 

Chess in Schools

Schools are the source of grassroot chess development in the country by making chess an important activity in school. Introducing chess in schools from an early age can help discover the game and give talented students to develop their skills, teach them to learn from their opponents mistakes, making them capable of handling pressure in difficult situations and develop a healthy competitive spirit.

New Developments

The momentum has been built and continued.

1. National Mind Sports Initiative: The National Mind Sports Initiative in Pakistan was launched in Pakistan in February 2024 by CFP and this campaign brought together CFP and Government of Pakistan with the aim to make chess more accessible to children across the country. The main goal of this initiative was to introduce chess to at least 10,000 public schools starting with 100 schools from Punjab. According to FIDE, this initiative could give 6 million children access to chess. Rather than limiting chess to professional players, this initiative focuses on introducing chess to children as part of their educational environment. 
2. Nationwide Chess Hunt: The Prime Minister’s Youth Program (PMYP) and CFP signed a letter to work on chess development at the grassroots level. One of the key objectives of the partnership between PMYP and CFP is to identify and nurture young chess talent across Pakistan. Rather than limiting opportunities to established chess centers, the nationwide talent hunt aims to provide young players from different parts of the country with a pathway toward further training and competitive opportunities.

Role of Chess Academies

Chess academies all over Pakistan are playing a major role in chess development by providing structured chess training in physical and online settings  from beginner to advanced level, organizing local and FIDE rated tournaments so kids can gain the experience and compete on national and international level competitions. 

Chess in Universities

Universities are also contributing in the development of chess by organizing Inter-level competitions and championship events to provide a platform to interested players including girls to participate and compete even after school years helping them connect with the wider chess community.

Cooperation of International Chess Bodies

Pakistan’s chess is highly supported by different bodies like the Asian Chess Federation, youth programs etc. These partnerships can provide access to training, educational initiatives, competitions, and international exposure.

Challenges we are still facing as a Nation

Despite all the progress that we have made so far, there are issues that still needs to be addressed that are major obstacles in our way and our potential players are not able to reach at a certain level due which includes:

1. We need a much larger number of players having ratings between 2200 - 2500.

2. Minor chess talents are required opportunities to play with international opponents more often.

3. Lack of financial resources as chess theory books, structure.

4. More highly trained instructors are required that can teach players from beginner to competition level.

5. Lack of awareness regarding chess unlike cricket and other sports.

Where do we actually stand in Global Chess?

The answer to this question really depends on the factors we are considering to check. In terms of development of chess many organizations including CFP itself,  several schools like Karachi Grammar School where National Chess Championship 2026 happened, different academies are playing their part but Pakistan has still not made it among the top 100 or top 50 leading chess nations of the globe, the first grandmaster is also yet to be produced and there’s a huge gap between ratings, infrastructure and international experience. Although the future looks promising and our players have potential, we still have a long journey ahead.

We have a history and talent but we need to translate that talent into International success. 

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