All India Chess Federation

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) is the central administrative body for the game of chess in India. Founded in 1951, the federation is affiliated to Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the world body for chess. The AICF has produced Viswanathan Anand, Pentala Harikrishna, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Dommaraju Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and many other grandmasters. The organisation is also in charge of managing women's chess in India. AICF's current headquarter is in New Delhi.

History
The All India Chess Federation was registered in 12 December 1958 and was registered as a Society under the Societies Registration act of 1860.

A new administration was formed, via an election of office bearers, on 10th March, 2024 where Mr. Nitin Narang was elected as the president of the AICF.

In August 2022, AICF hosted the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, which was the first Chess Olympiad ever to take place in the country. The event was organised by AICF in association with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Tamil Nadu Government. Sanjay Kapoor, ex-AICF president, was the President of the Organising Committee for the 44th Chess Olympiad, and ex-AICF Secretary, Bharat Singh Chauhan was the Tournament Director.

Charges of bureaucratic interference
AICF has been repeatedly accused of bureaucratic interference. In October 2009, chess Grandmaster Humpy Koneru (then female world No. 2) accused the AICF secretary DV Sundar of preventing her from participating in the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin. The same year the AICF was accused of arbitrarily banning grandmaster G N Gopal for not playing in a match (the ban was subsequently revoked).

In 2012 the AICF president N Srinivasan was criticised for not supporting Viswanathan Anand in World Chess Championship 2010, by not trying to host the match in India.

However, things appear to be changing for better since the present management took over on January 04, 2021. The new AICF President, Sanjay Kapoor, and Secretary, Bharat Singh Chauhan have taken a slew of measures to ensure that the Federation actively focuses on promoting Chess sport in the country and works towards empowering the players.

Affiliates
Till date the federation has more than 30 affiliated state associations and 10 special members Here is a list of them:

Affiliated state bodies

 * All Arunachal Pradesh Chess Association
 * All Assam Chess Association
 * All Bihar Chess Association
 * All J&K Chess Association
 * All Jharkhand Chess Association
 * All Orrisa Chess Association
 * All Tripura Chess Association
 * Andaman Nicobar Chess Assn
 * Andhra Chess Association
 * Chess Association – Kerala
 * Chandigarh Chess Association
 * Chhattisgarh Pradesh Satranj Sangh (Chhattisgarh State Chess Association)
 * Dev Bhoomi Chess Association
 * Delhi Chess Association
 * Gujarat State Chess Association
 * Goa Chess Association
 * Himachal Pradesh State Chess Association
 * Karnataka Chess Association
 * Maharashtra Chess Association
 * Manipur Chess Development Association
 * Meghalaya Chess Association
 * Mizoram Chess Association
 * MP Chess Ad-Hoc Committee
 * Nagaland Chess Association
 * Pondicherry State Chess Assn
 * Punjab State Chess Association
 * Rajasthan Chess Association
 * Sara Bangla Daba Sangstha
 * Sikkim chess Association
 * Tamil Nadu State Chess Association
 * The Haryana Chess Association
 * Telangana State Chess Association
 * UP Chess Sports Association

Special units

 * LIC of India
 * All India Reserve Bank Sports and Cultural
 * BSNL Sports and Cultural Board
 * Defence Accounts Sports Control Board
 * Major Ports Sports Control Board
 * Railway Sports Promotion Board
 * KIIT University
 * All India Chess Federation for the Blind
 * Petroleum Sports Control Board
 * Services Sports Control Board

Events
AICF has also played host to a number of major world events in India. Some of them are:
 * World Junior Championships
 * Commonwealth Chess Championship
 * Asian Team Championships
 * 44th Chess Olympiad