Bengaluru, Nov. 9 -- As a university student in Bhopal, Ashok Shrivatri and his friends carried chess pieces in their pockets. The boards were already waiting for them. One of his friends had painted chessboards onto four classroom desks. Long after classes ended, the boys stayed behind, hunched over the desks, playing for hours. Sometimes, their worried and increasingly irate parents would turn up looking for them. The boys had a familiar escape: they ducked under the desks, hiding from their parents, reluctant to abandon their games.

"Back then, chess was seen as gambling. Many parents worried that their children would end up selling off family assets and businesses and bring their families to ruin. My friends were regularly beaten by ...