QUICK TAKE | Anuj Shrivatri Lost His Opening Game. How Did He Become India’s 100th Chess Grandmaster? Seven Things to Know

1. Who is Anuj Shrivatri?

Shrivatri is a chess player from Madhya Pradesh who had already become the state’s youngest International Master in 2020. His junior record included an unbeaten run at the 2017 World Youth Under-14 Championship, where he finished fourth. Six years after his IM breakthrough, he earned the Grandmaster title his state had been waiting for.

2. How did he recover from losing the first round?

He scored seven points from the remaining eight rounds of the ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Ozamiz City. He won both his final games to finish on 7/9, half a point ahead of Vietnamese Grandmaster Nguyen Duc Hoa. That last half-point was the difference between winning outright and finishing level on points.

3. How can one tournament earn someone the GM title?

Some designated championships offer a direct title. Win the qualifying event and meet the applicable rating requirement, and the result can earn the title without the usual series of norms. All India Chess Federation president Nitin Narang said Shrivatri’s victory in Ozamiz qualified him through this route.

4. Why did his 2,450 rating matter?

FIDE sets a 2,300 rating minimum for a direct Grandmaster title. Shrivatri entered the event rated 2,450, already above that threshold. The standard route requires a player to reach 2,500 and record qualifying tournament performances, known as norms. The two routes have different thresholds.

5. What did Madhya Pradesh get out of the win?

Its first Grandmaster. Shrivatri had already set an age milestone for the state when he became an International Master. In Ozamiz, he became the first player from Madhya Pradesh to reach the highest open title in chess.

6. How long did India take to get from one to 100?

Nearly 39 years. Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster in 1987. Shrivatri reached No. 100 on November 8, 2026. Narang marked the milestone by setting his sights on 200.

7. What did India’s first Grandmaster say to its 100th?

Anand called it “a cracker of a 100”, a nod to the Diwali timing. He said he had been thinking that morning about how December 2027 would mark 40 years since he earned his own GM title. Then came the result from Ozamiz.