Anuj Shrivatri: India’s 100th Grandmaster

• 10 Nov 2026

International Master Anuj Shrivatri of Madhya Pradesh has won the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Philippines to become India’s 100th Grandmaster and the first from his state to achieve the title.

As of 8 November 2026, Tamil Nadu has highest number of Chess GMs (39), followed byMaharashtra (14) and West Bengal (12).

Key Facts

• First Grandmaster of India: Viswanathan Anand became India's very first GM in 1988. He went on to become a 5-time World Chess Champion.
• First Woman Grandmaster (WGM) of India: Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi achieved the Woman Grandmaster title in 2001.
• First Female Grandmaster (Full GM Title): Koneru Humpy became the first Indian woman to achieve the full, overall Grandmaster (GM) title in 2002, becoming the youngest woman at the time to achieve the title at 15 years old.
• Second Grandmaster of India: Dibyendu Barua achieved the title in 1991, three years after Viswanathan Anand.
• Youngest Grandmaster of India: D. Gukesh (Dommaraju Gukesh) achieved his GM title in 2019 at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days.
• First Brother-Sister Grandmaster Duo in History: R. Praggnanandhaa and R. Vaishali became the world’s first sibling pair to hold the Grandmaster title.
• Governing Body for Chess in India: All India Chess Federation (AICF), founded in 1951 and headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.