Key Facts

Anuj Shrivastri of Madhya Pradesh became India's 100th Grandmaster by winning the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Open in the Philippines. Tamil Nadu has produced 38 of India's 100 Grandmasters, more than any other state. Viswanathan Anand became India's first Grandmaster in 1988, a milestone that preceded the country's now-dominant position in global chess.

GK Context

The Grandmaster (GM) title, awarded by FIDE (the International Chess Federation), is chess's highest title apart from World Champion, requiring players to achieve specific norm performances in tournaments and reach an Elo rating of at least 2500. Viswanathan Anand, India's first GM (1988) and a five-time World Chess Champion, is widely credited with sparking India's chess boom, particularly in Tamil Nadu, where strong chess academies and coaching infrastructure (centred in Chennai) have produced a disproportionate share of the country's Grandmasters, including current World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju.