Endgame of Empire was written by Ather Sultan (Sultan Khan's son) and Atiyab Sultan (Sultan Khan's granddaughter), with contributions from GM Sam Shankland. The book chronicles the life of the pioneering Indian chess player and is published by Fordham University Press. 

WGM Jennifer Shahade, two-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion, calls it "a beautifully written and important book. While presenting Khan’s devotion to family as well as his sensational achievements, like winning three British championships, Endgame of Empire does not shy away from the forces that cut Sultan Khan’s career short, like the pervasive racism and Orientalism that have distorted his legacy to this day. The book brilliantly elaborates the triumphs of a groundbreaking grandmaster whose strategic originality and precision toppled the best players in the world, from Capablanca to Tartakower. The annotations by one of America’s top grandmasters, Sam Shankland, are accessible and instructive and help bring Sultan Khan’s genius to life."

The publication date of the book is July 7, 2026. Thankfully we received a digital copy from Fordham University Press, New York, for a preview.

Miran Sultan Khan

The subject of this book was born in 1903, in the village of Mittha Tawana in Punjab, British India (now Pakistan). At the age of nine he was introduced to the Indian variant of the game by his father, a strong player. He adapted the rules of Indian chess, which has underpowered queens and limited pawn promotions. By his early twenties he had become formidable presence in local chess circles. The breakthrough came at the All-India Chess Championship, held in Delhi in 1928. There, at the age of 23, he claimed victory with eight wins and one draw out of nine games.

The Championship had been organized by Colonel Nawab Sir Umar Hayat Khan Tiwana, a prominent British Indian Army officer and chess enthusiast. In 1926, Khan joined his household as a servant. Sir Umar did, however, sponsor his development as a chess player and played a pivotal role in bridging Khan's knowledge of Indian chess variants to the international Western game, arranging instruction from leading Indian players and personally overseeing his learning of standard rules, notation, and positional principles during preparations for travel.

In 1929 Khan travelled to London, where he faced significant challenges, including language barriers, as he spoke little English. Sir Umar organized warm-up matches against prominent local players, during which he rapidly assimilated Western conventions and playing style. He achieved rapid prominence in British chess circles, especially after winning the 22nd British Chess Championship at Ramsgate in 1929, with a score of 8 out of 11. This success was especially noteworthy due to the scant time he had for preparation, his illiteracy, , and bouts of malaria that he suffered. Yet he outplayed established British masters including William Winter and John Morrison. His triumph drew widespread media coverage in the British press, which celebrated the first Indian to claim the title.

In 1930, at the Liège international tournament, Khan secured a convincing win against U.S. Champion Frank Marshall, and in the Hastings Tournament 1930–31 he defeated Capablanca, with the former World Champion praising his "natural talent." 

In 1931 won a 12-game match against Savielly Tartakower with a score of 6.5–5.5.

At the 1933 Folkestone Chess Olympiad, Khan faced reigning World Champion Alexander Alekhine on first board for India against France. He lost in a marathon 108-move game, in which Alekhine converted a queen vs. two rooks endgame with masterful technique.

Above a picture taken from the Chess History site (see below). In the back row and from left to right: W. Rivier, O. Naegeli, P. Johner, B. Colin, H. Grob, F. Gygli, H. Johner, O. Bernstein, A. Staehelin, E. Voellmy, M. Euwe, Sultan Khan, A. Alekhine, W. Henneberger, E. Bogoljubow, S. Flohr. Chess historian Edward Winter writes: "Notwithstanding the various allegations that Sultan Khan was completely illiterate (as opposed to merely unfamiliar with any European languages) we note, without drawing any conclusions, that in the group picture of the masters in the Berne, 1932 tournament book he appeared engrossed in a document."

Following this game Khan returned to British India, where his involvement in chess diminished considerably. After the 1947 partition of the country he found himself in the newly formed Pakistan, where he managed his family's ancestral farmlands. He married and had eleven children, many of whom pursued professional careers as doctors, civil servants, and engineers. His eldest son, Ather Sultan Khan, graduated from the London School of Economics, and his granddaughter, Atiyab Sultan, holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. They are the authors of Endgame of Empire!

Sultan Khan died of tuberculosis on April 25, 1966, at the age of 63. In 2024 FIDE posthumously awarded Khan the Honorary Grandmaster title.

If you want to learn more about Sultan Kahn, read many contemporary columns and view a large number of pictures, a very good place is Edward Winter's Chess Notes website.