India has a new reason to celebrate this Diwali week. Anuj Shrivatri, a 22-year-old from Katni in Madhya Pradesh, became the country’s 100th chess Grandmaster on Sunday after winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines. He is also the first Grandmaster Madhya Pradesh has ever produced.
The milestone comes nearly four decades after Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster in 1987. In the years since, Indian chess has grown from a one-man story into a conveyor belt of talent, and the 100 mark is the clearest proof yet of how far the game has travelled in the country.
A comeback after losing the first game
Shrivatri’s title run in Ozamiz City was anything but smooth. The fourth seed, rated 2450, lost his opening-round game to home player Arca Karlo. Most players would have taken time to recover from that start. Shrivatri did the opposite.
He went unbeaten through his remaining eight games, winning six and drawing two, to finish on seven points from nine rounds. That left him half a point clear of Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Hoa, the second-placed Grandmaster, and the Philippines’ Nouri Alekhine, who finished third with six points.
His performance rating for the tournament was 2586, a strong showing for a player whose peak rating of 2483 came in June this year. He is currently ranked India No. 76.
How the title was decided
The ASEAN Plus championship carried a special FIDE-approved format. The winner of the event earned the Grandmaster title directly, provided at least four Grandmasters and six International Masters competed in every round. That meant Shrivatri did not have to go through the usual route of three Grandmaster norms across 27 games and a 2500 Elo rating.
India is not part of the 11-member ASEAN chess bloc, but Indian players were allowed to take part in the event. Shrivatri made the most of the opening, and the direct title route turned his tournament win into a piece of history.
He had been an International Master since 2019, when he became the youngest from Madhya Pradesh to earn the title at 15 years and 31 days. The Grandmaster title had stayed just out of reach since then, with norms missed on at least four or five occasions by his own account. On Sunday, the wait finally ended.
From a German IT job to the chessboard
Shrivatri’s journey to the title is as striking as the result itself. He started playing chess in 2011, when he was seven years old. He later earned a B.Tech degree from Lovely Professional University in Punjab and took up a work-from-home job with a German company.
In 2024, he quit that job to focus only on chess, turning down the safety of a corporate career for the uncertainty of professional play. Two years later, the gamble has paid off in the biggest way possible.
“I had been trying for the GM title for a long time. There were so many times my GM norms were missed. At least four or five times I was really close, and it slipped away. So now that the title is finally complete, I’m feeling a lot of relief,” he said after the win.
A century of Grandmasters
India’s march to 100 Grandmasters has gathered pace in recent months. The country added its 96th to 100th Grandmasters between July and November 2026, with Ethan Vaz, Harshvardhan GB, S Ashwath and V Rathnavel earning the title before Shrivatri. Rathnavel had become the 99th in July at the Guwahati Smart City International Open.
The All India Chess Federation celebrated the milestone, with president Nitin Narang posting: “GRANDMASTER No. 100 FOR BHARAT! India achieves a historic milestone as Anuj Shrivatri becomes the country’s 100th Grandmaster.” He added a line that has since become the federation’s new target: “Onwards to 200 Grandmasters!”
Viswanathan Anand, the man who started it all in 1987, also congratulated Shrivatri, calling the achievement “a cracker of a 100”. For a sport that once depended on a single star, the compliment from Anand to the 100th Grandmaster says plenty about how the game has changed.
What comes next
Shrivatri has already set his next targets: crossing a 2600 rating and winning as many tournaments as he can. The Grandmaster title opens doors to stronger events, invitations and sponsorships that were harder to reach as an International Master.
For Madhya Pradesh, the impact may be wider still. The state had never produced a Grandmaster before Sunday. Chess academies and young players there now have a local hero to point to, and a clear example that the title is reachable from a small town like Katni.
Indian chess has spent years talking about depth. With 100 Grandmasters on the list, and the newest one arriving on a Diwali weekend, the depth is no longer a promise. It is a fact.
FAQs
Who is Anuj Shrivatri?
Anuj Shrivatri is a 22-year-old chess player from Katni, Madhya Pradesh. He became India’s 100th Grandmaster and the first from his state on November 8, 2026.
How did Shrivatri become a Grandmaster?
He won the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Ozamiz City, Philippines, scoring seven points from nine rounds. The FIDE-approved event awarded the Grandmaster title directly to the winner.
Who was India’s first Grandmaster?
Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster in 1987 after winning the Shakti Finance International tournament in Coimbatore.
Who was India’s 99th Grandmaster?
VS Rathanvel became India’s 99th Grandmaster in July 2026 at the Guwahati Smart City International Open.
What is Shrivatri’s next goal?
He has said he wants to cross a 2600 rating and win as many tournaments as he can.
India’s chess story keeps getting bigger, and Informeia will keep tracking every move.
