Anuj Shrivatri becomes India's 100th chess Grandmaster
The 22-year-old player won the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines to achieve the milestone.
Anuj Shrivatri became India's 100th chess Grandmaster on Sunday, November 8, 2026, after winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines. The 22-year-old International Master secured the title at the Asenso Global Youth Leadership and Sports Complex in Misamis Occidental, according to reports by The Hindu, Deccan Herald and Hindustan Times.
Shrivatri, who is the first Grandmaster from Madhya Pradesh, finished the tournament with seven points from nine rounds. He achieved this score despite suffering a loss in the opening round of the competition.
The milestone comes during a period of rapid growth for Indian chess, with five Grandmasters joining the ranks between July 2026 and November 2026. Recent title recipients included S. Aswath and V.S.
Rathanvel, while Ethan Vaz and Harshvardhan GB were also awarded the title before Shrivatri.
Viswanathan Anand became India's first Grandmaster in 1988. Commenting on the milestone, Anand told Hindustan Times that the pace of growth is remarkable, noting that the country had only 30 Grandmasters 15 years ago.
Of the 100 Grandmasters in India, 38 are from Tamil Nadu. The country's female Grandmaster count currently stands at four, including Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh.