How Indian Chess Got Its 86th Grandmaster

After over a year's wait India has its newest Grandmaster in 19-year-old Srihari LR from Tamil Nadu

- Susan Ninan

BENGALURU: In the oasis town of Al-Ain in Abu Dhabi, a group of young Indian chess players from Tamil Nadu have been training together, exchanging opening ideas, rigging up quick cricket sessions with squeeze balls and exam pads inside their coach's hotel room, and chasing GM norms. One of them—19-year-old Srihari LR—checked off his final GM norm at the Asian Individual Men's Chess Championship, held in the eastern part of the UAE, becoming India's 86th Grandmaster.

Between 2020 and 2023, India churned out 19 Grandmasters. Seven of them in 2023 alone. In 2024, just one new Indian GM was added—32-year-old Shyam Nikhil, whose final GM norm arrived after over a decade. After over a year's wait, India now has a new GM.

Srihari picked up his first GM norm in 2023 and crossed 2500 Elo in the published ratings (one of the requirements for a GM title) last year. He arrived in Al-Ain in the hunt for his final GM norm. Academy mate Ilamparthi AR too had similar ambitions. The 16-year-old, though, ended up missing it after a draw in the penultimate round. The Sharjah Open, which starts on May 16, is his next best bet.