Anuj Shrivatri becomes India’s 100th chess grandmaster after ASEAN Plus win
Anuj Shrivatri became India’s 100th chess grandmaster on November 8, 2026, after winning the ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship; India therefore counts 100 grandmasters as of November 2026.
The grandmaster (GM) title is awarded by the World Chess Federation, FIDE, and ranks below only the world champion as the highest title a player can hold; once conferred it is held for life, although it can be revoked for cheating. The first GM titles were awarded to 27 players in 1950, and the qualifying criteria have evolved over time. One description here states that FIDE currently awards the GM title to a player who achieves a 2500 FIDE classical (or ‘standard’) rating plus three GM norms. The same compilation also records that India has 100 chess grandmasters as of 2026, making it one of the leading countries in world chess, and names Viswanathan Anand as the first Indian grandmaster.
Manuel Aaron is recorded as India’s first titled player, becoming the nation’s first International Master in 1961, and Viswanathan Anand achieved the distinction of becoming India’s first grandmaster in 1988. Jayshree Khadilkar is listed as an early pioneer among Indian women in chess with a WIM title earned in 1979. Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi appears twice in the record as the first Indian Woman Grandmaster in 2001 and as having become an International Master in 2002, while Koneru Humpy is noted as the first woman from India to attain the GM title in 2002.
The profile of Indian grandmasters also records D Gukesh as the youngest Indian to reach GM status, doing so at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days. Anuj Shrivatri’s elevation to the 100th GM came specifically through his victory at the ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship on November 8, 2026 (Sunday). The source attributes India’s expansion in chess talent to grassroots programmes, increased access to coaching, and inspiration from pioneers such as Viswanathan Anand.
The compilation reiterates the technical difficulty of earning GM norms, describing each norm as extremely difficult to attain and noting that there are many rules defining what constitutes a norm. Elsewhere in the same material the requirement for the GM title is also stated as achieving three Grandmaster norms along with a FIDE rating of 2600 or more, presenting both threshold figures as part of the record.
Anuj Shrivatri’s result on November 8, 2026 brought India’s total to 100 grandmasters as of November 2026, a milestone recorded alongside the historic names and dates noted above.