International Master Anuj Shrivatri made history on Sunday by becoming India’s 100th Grandmaster (GM). He achieved the milestone after clinching the title at the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines.
Shrivatri bounced back strongly after suffering a defeat in his opening-round game, winning the tournament with seven points from nine rounds. He finished half a point ahead of Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Hoa, while home favourite Nouri Alekhine took third place with six points. A B.Tech graduate in Computer Science from Lovely Professional University, Punjab, Shrivatri became an International Master in 2020.
“Grandmaster No. 100 for Bharat! Congratulations, Anuj. A proud moment for Indian chess. Onwards to 200 Grandmasters!” AICF President Nitin Narang wrote on X.
For the unversed, Viswanathan Anandbecame the first Indian to earn the Grandmaster title in 1988. 38 years later, Anuj became the 100th Indian and the ninth from the country in 2026 to achieve the feat.
Viswanathan Anand also didn’t take long to congratulate Anuj for joining the elite club and becoming a Grandmaster.
Happy Diwali. A cracker of a 100. Congrats to @AnujShrivatri on getting India to this milestone. Funnily only today I was thinking December 2027 will be the 40th anniversary of my GM title and literally this manifested,” he wrote.
How Players Get Grandmaster Title?
To become a Grandmaster, a chess player must earn three GM norms and reach a FIDE rating of at least 2,500. Each norm requires a strong performance in a FIDE-recognised tournament with at least nine rounds. Players must compete against opponents from at least three different countries, with at least half holding international titles and one-third already being Grandmasters.