Anuj Shrivatri becomes India’s 100th chess Grandmaster

PUNE: Anuj Shrivatri has become India's 100th chess grandmaster and the first from Madhya Pradesh after winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship Governor Henry S. Oaminal Cup in the Philippines on Sunday.The 22-year-old from Katni, ranked India No. 76, secured the title through a special format that awarded a direct GM title to the winner, bypassing the usual requirement of three norms across 27 games and an Elo rating of 2500. His peak rating was 2483, achieved in June.Fourth seed Anuj, rated 2450, lost to home player Arca Karlo in the opening round but recovered strongly, winning six of his next eight games to finish with seven points. He finished half a point ahead of Vietnam GM Nguyen Duc Hoa and pocketed $3,000. The format meant Anuj faced only two players from the top 10 seeds and none rated higher than him. He finished with a performance rating of 2586, short of the 2600 required for a conventional GM norm, and is expected to gain around 15 rating points.Several Indian players, including Ayush Sharma, Neelash Saha, Nitish Belurkar, Mohd Imran and Ajay Parvathareddy, appeared better placed to become the country’s 100th GM, having already met either the norm or rating requirement. However, Anuj seized the opportunity to enter the record books.An International Master since 2019, Anuj becomes the latest Indian to earn the GM title through a special Fide-approved event. Divya Deshmukh, too, became India's fourth female GM through the Women's World Cup rather than the conventional route.India is not the first country to reach 100 grandmasters. Russia, the US, Ukraine and Germany have already crossed the milestone, with Russia boasting more than 250. More than 2,000 players have been awarded the GM title worldwide.The ASEAN Plus tournament was eligible to award a direct GM title provided at least four GMs and six IMs competed in every round. Although India is not part of the 11-member ASEAN chess bloc, Indian players were allowed to participate.First GM: V Anand, in 1988100th GM: Anuj ShrivatriRecent surge: 80 of India’s 100 GMs have emerged since 2010Last 6-7 years: 35 players have earned the titleState leaders: Tamil Nadu has nearly 40 GMs, while Maharashtra has over 10Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.