Harikrishnan A Ra becomes 87th GM; coach wants him to compete in big events

The first thing Grandmaster Shyam Sundar Mohanraj noticed about Harikrishnan A Ra was his calculation skills when he joined his academy Chess Thulir in Chennai, as an early bird in 2022.

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Harikrishnan, 24, on Friday earned his third GM-norm at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France to become the country's 87th Grandmaster and bring joy to his coach Mohanraj, who has seen two players from his academy become GMs in a span of months.

The Chennai-based Harikrishnan earned his first GM norm some years back. He then gained his second one at Andujar Open in Spain.

Srihari LR became the 86th GM and now Harikrishnan has also achieved the feat.

"In a matter of two months, the academy has produced two Grandmasters. It feels great because of back-to-back GMs whom I have been training for last 2-3 years," said Mohanraj, as he reflected on the lean phase lasting more than a year when he could not produce a GM.

"It's a big relief for both me and Harikrishnan. Because he lost two GM norms in a row."