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Anuj Shrivatri becomes India's 100th Grandmaster
Anuj Shrivatri became India's 100th Grandmaster after winning the ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines.
The 22-year-old from Katni is also the first Grandmaster from Madhya Pradesh.
He lost his first game but scored seven points in the next eight rounds, finishing half a point ahead of Vietnam's Nguyen Duc Hoa.
His win gave him the title directly under special conditions, rather than through the usual route of earning three Grandmaster norms and reaching a rating of 2,500.
India's first Grandmaster was Viswanathan Anand in 1988, making Shrivatri's achievement a national milestone after a 38-year wait.
Shrivatri studied artificial intelligence and machine learning and worked as a software engineer, but chose to pursue chess full-time with his family's support.
Anuj Shrivatri became India’s 100th Grandmaster after winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines.
The 22-year-old from Katni is also the first Grandmaster from Madhya Pradesh.
He scored seven points in nine rounds, finishing half a point ahead of Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Hoa.
The victory gave Shrivatri the Grandmaster title directly under special FIDE-approved conditions.
He chose to pursue chess full-time after completing a technology degree and working as a software engineer.
- Who
- Anuj Shrivatri, a 22-year-old chess player from Katni, Madhya Pradesh.
- What
- He became India’s 100th Grandmaster and the first from Madhya Pradesh.
- When
- Sunday, November 8, 2026.
- Where
- At the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines.
- Why
- He won the championship, which offered a direct route to the Grandmaster title under special FIDE-approved conditions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster.
Shrivatri’s first chess lesson took place at a sawmill in Katni, according to Sportstar.
Shrivatri’s first coach, Birendra Kumar Tiwari, died after returning to Katni from a tournament in Ahmedabad.
Shrivatri won the ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines and became India’s 100th Grandmaster.
- Age
- 22
- Tournament
- 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship
- Score
- 7 points from 9 rounds
- Runner-up
- Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam, half a point behind
- State milestone
- First Grandmaster from Madhya Pradesh
- Degree
- BTech in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Lovely Professional University
4 sources
From Vishy to 100: How Viswanathan Anand sparked India’s chess revolution
Who is Anuj Shrivatri? India's 100th Grandmaster chose chess over software job
What people are saying
He told me, ‘Papa has passed away.’
I asked him whether it was his father or his grandmother. He said, ‘Both Papa and Dadi have passed away,’