Arjuna awardees in Chess have got significant success in their career and have brought glory for their country. The Indian Chess players have earned a lot of recognition and reputation in the international arena and they have been honoured in their country, as well. The first name in the list of Arjuna Awardees in Chess is of Manuel Aaron, who won the award in the very first year of its inception, in 1961. He won the award for his wonderful performances in several national and international Chess tournaments.
After Aaron, no Chess player could win the award for a long period of 19 years and Rohini Khadilkar became the second Arjuna Awardee in Chess in 1980-81. Grand Master Dibyendu Barua won the award in the year of 1983 and he was followed by Praveen Thipsay, who received the Arjuna Award in 1984.
The next year, in 1985, the legendary Indian Chess player, Viswanathan Anand enlisted his name among the Arjuna Awardees in Chess. He won the award at a young age and afterwards, he went on to become one of the most talented and undisputed World Champions in Chess.
After the next year of 1986 went winner less for the Chess players, in 1987, two Chess players jointly won the Arjuna Award in India. The Arjuna Awardees in Chess in 1987 were Devaki Prasad and Bhagyashree Thipsay. The next Arjuna Award came to the Chess players in 1990, when Anupama Gokhale received it. However, the Chess players failed to win the award for another 10 years.
The famous Indian Chess player, Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman won the Arjuna Award in 2000. Krishnan Sasikiran claimed the award in the year of 2002 and the little wonder of Women Chess in India, Koneru Humpy received the award in 2003. Another top class Indian Chess player, Surya Shekhar Ganguly got his name into the list of Arjuna Awardees in Chess in the year 2005. The year 2007 saw the talented Chess player, P Harikrishna winning the award and the latest winner of Arjuna Award in 2008 was Dronavalli Harika.
| Year | Recipient Name | Year | Recipient Name |
| 1961 | Manuel Aaron | 2002 | Krishnan Sasikiran |
| 1980-81 | Rohini Khadilkar | 2003 | Koneru Humpy |
| 1983 | Dibyendu Barua | 2005 | Surya Shekhar Ganguly |
| 1984 | Pravin Thipsay | 2006 | Pentyala Harikrishna |
| 1985 | Vishwanathan Anand | 2008 | Dronavalli Harika |
| 1987 | D. V. Prasad, Bhagyashree Thipsay | 2009 | Tania Sachdev |
| 1990 | Anupama Gokhale | 2010 | Parimarjan Negi |
| 2000 | Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi | - | - |
