Anuj Shrivatri creates history, becomes India's 100th Grandmaster

Madhya Pradesh's Anuj Shrivatri on Sunday became India's 100th chess Grandmaster after winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship. He now also holds the distinction of being the first-ever GM hailing from Madhya Pradesh.

Reaching the 100 GMs mark is a remarkable milestone for chess in India. It was in 1987 when India got its first grandmaster in the form of the legendary Viswanathan Anand, when he had won the Shakti Finance International chess tournament held in Coimbatore.

"GRANDMASTER No. 100 FOR BHARAT! India achieves a historic milestone as Anuj Shrivatri becomes the country's 100th Grandmaster by winning the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Chess Championships 2026 in Ozamiz City, Philippines, securing the direct GM title! Congratulations, Anuj! A proud moment for Indian chess. Onwards to 200 Grandmasters!," All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Nitin Narang posted on X.

In July, VS Rathanvel had become India's 99th grandmaster, crossing the 2500 Elo rating mark at the Guwahati Smart City International Open 2026. The 25-year-old's achievement had brought India within one of reaching the 100 GMs mark, which Anuj ultimately breached. Rathanvel, who had been coached by grandmasters Vishnu Prasanna, Narayanan Srinath, Shyam Sundar and Sundarrajan Kidambi, had earlier completed his three GM norms in 2022.

Who is a Grandmaster?

Grandmaster is the highest title or ranking that a chess player can achieve. It is awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE, from its French acronym Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the global governing body headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Among the hierarchy of chess titles that include International Master (IM), FIDE Master (FM), Candidate Master (CM), and their female-specific counterparts (WGM, WIM, WFM, WCM), the Grandmaster title stands as the most prestigious and challenging to obtain.

What is a GM norm and how to earn it?

Earning a GM norm in chess is a challenging process governed by strict FIDE regulations. Typically, a player must compete in a tournament of at least nine games, though exceptions exist for shorter events, such as seven-game norms in World or Continental Team Championships and eight-game norms in the World Cup or Women's World Championship.

To achieve a GM norm, a player must perform at a high level, achieving a tournament performance rating (TPR) of at least 2600. The competition must also include a strong field where at least 33% of the opponents must hold the GM title, and players from at least three different federations must participate. Some tournaments are specifically organised to help players secure norms by ensuring these conditions are met.

Ultimately, earning the full GM title requires three such norms across a minimum of 27 games, along with achieving a FIDE rating of 2500 at some point.