Anuj Shrivatri becomes India’s 100th chess Grandmaster

Anuj Shrivatri also became the first GM from Madhya Pradesh. Credit: X/@ChessbaseIndia Anuj Shrivatri on Sunday (November 8, 2026) became India’s 100th chess Grandmaster, by winning the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Open chess championship in Ozamiz City, the Philippines.The 22-year-old Anuj also became the first GM from Madhya Pradesh. He won the tournament with seven points from nine rounds after suffering a loss in the opening round. His triumph enabled him earn the GM title.The legendary Viswanathan Anand had become the country’s first Grandmaster in 1988. The wait for the 100th GM was watched intently after S. Aswath and V.S. Rathanvel recently became the 98th and 99th GMs respectively. Published - November 08, 2026 09:10 pm IST