The Forgotten History of Indian Chess:

Chess has a deep-rooted history in India, tracing back to its origins as chaturanga. The transition from the traditional Indian version to the westernized format remains an overlooked chapter, but a remarkable discovery has now brought this forgotten era back into focus.

FM Alex King recently mentioned on his Facebook account that chess historian Jacques Pope found an unpublished manuscript by 19th century Scottish lawyer and chess master John Cochrane in the Cleveland Public Library. This manuscript features around 30 previously unknown games played between 1855 and 1858: games that reveal two Indian players who were among the first to adopt the westernized rules of chess. I am grateful to Pope for sharing those games online and also to NM Sam Copeland for bringing this to my attention!

What makes this discovery truly fascinating is the sheer skill demonstrated by these early Indian players. In an age without formal training or abundant resources, they adapted to the new rules with astonishing speed. One of them, Mahesh Chandra, not only grasped the nuances of the western game, but also managed to outplay John Cochrane himself on several occasions.

Yet, this story is not just about Mahesh Chandra; another forgotten name in Indian chess history is Shyamcharan Ghatak. And beyond both of them stands another remarkable figure, Pandit Trivengadacharya Shastri, whose Sanskrit text Vilasmanimanjiri serves as a historical bridge between India's classical and modern chess traditions. Thanks to FM Aniruddha Deshpande, this work is now accessible in English as Jewels of Chess (21st-century edition). And finally, standing at the edge of history and myth, is the mysterious blindfold king, Ramadasa, who is often described as the Francois Philidor of Indian chess.

This article series explores the lives and contributions of these pioneers, shedding light on their remarkable legacies in shaping Indian chess. Today we begin with Mahesh Chandra and Shyamcharan Ghatak.

• First Indians To Play Western Chess Against Each Other
• Conclusion

First Indians To Play Western Chess Against Each Other

The first thing to clarify are the spellings. The usual spelling of Mahesh's name, Moheschunder Bannerjee, is simply a phonetic rendering, and his actual name was most likely Mahesh Chandra Bannerjee. Similarly, Saumchurn Guttack's name is Shyamcharan Ghatak.

In A Century of British Chess from 1934, P.W. Sergeant recounts the story of Mahesh Chandra Bannerjee, a Brahmin chess player discovered in 1848 in the Indian countryside. Despite barely knowing the rules of the European game, he impressed Cochrane, who described him as having unmatched natural talent. Later employed as a paid attache at the Calcutta Chess Club, Mahesh Chandra influenced chess theory, particularly through fianchetto structures, a legacy continued by players like GM Sultan Khan. For further details, you can refer to Edward Winter's notes titled "Chess in India, 5590." Source: P.W. Sergeant, A Century of British Chess (1934), pp. 68-69; Chess Player’s Chronicle (1850), pp. 318-319.

While researching Indian contributions to chess, I learned a fascinating fact: Mahesh Chandra Bannerjee was the first known player to use the Grünfeld Defense!

In the Mega Database, his name appears as Mohishunder Bonnerjee, and Edward Winter notes that Wilhelm Steinitz also annotated this game for a column called The Field.

"First restrain, then blockade, finally destroy" was the war cry of the celebrated 1920s chess master and writer Aron Nimzowitsch, but it seems like Mahesh knew it all almost a century before!

There were many moments that pleasantly surprised me. My impression of Mahesh's games is that he knew where the pieces belonged and was adept at anticipating quick tactical opportunities, but struggled with calculating his opponent's resources.

Here is a game featuring two amazing moves that I loved:

These g7-g5 ideas in the Italian Game seem modern, don't they? But Shyamcharan Ghatak played it so naturally. The game was not error-free, but it did have many interesting moments. I'm challenging you to finish the game in the style of Shyamcharan as Black:

In our next example, Mahesh found a great way to nullify the pressure against the isolated queen pawn with the help of a forcing continuation: 

In this game, I loved the moves through which Mahesh made slow improvements of his pieces and eventually exploited White's poor knight on a1. According to Game Review, Black played at a level of 2400 Elo!

Shyamcharan's games give out the vibe of a player who loves to attack at all costs. The following combination, involving a clever interference and discovered check, pleased me!

Meeting 1.e4 with 1...c6 was one of Shyamcharan's specialties. If you look at the current databases, there is a game featuring John Withers. After that, there are many games of Shyamcharan against John Cochrane featuring the Caro-Kann.

Take a look at the black knight's journey in this game: 

We can also see signs of good technique where Shyamcharan converted his huge advantage after his opponent failed to spot a tactical trick with Nxf7!

According to Game Review, Black played at a 2500 level with 94.2 accuracy. There were zero misses, zero inaccuracies, zero blunders, and one brilliant move in this masterful game by Shyamcharan!

I am truly amazed by these games. How did they train their tactics? What inspired them? How did they play so well without any reference to classic games? These questions remain, showing the depth of their natural understanding of chess. I would love to close this section with one more tactical puzzle featuring another game of Shyamcharan's, but this time against John Cochrane! 

I leave you with several more great games between Mahesh Chandra and Shyamcharan Ghatak:

Conclusion

What amazes me about Mahesh and Shyamcharan is the sheer creativity and indomitable spirit they brought to the game. It is unfortunate that their names remain unfamiliar to many, despite deserving a lasting place in the rich legacy of Indian chess.
For me, their journey serves as a powerful reminder that brilliance in chess is not reserved for the spotlight. It emerges from a deep, personal engagement with the game. There is no single path to mastery; each player must chart their own course, guided by curiosity, insight, and an unwavering love for the board!

I hope that you liked the story about Mahesh and Shyamcharan. Beyond both of them stands another remarkable figure, whose important book served as a historical bridge between India's classical and modern chess traditions. Stay tuned for second article in this series!