While most of India was busy with diyas, sweets and late-night card games this Diwali weekend, a 22-year-old from a small city in Madhya Pradesh was sitting at a chessboard in the Philippines, quietly making history.
That player is Anuj Shrivatri, and on 8 November 2026 he became India’s 100th chess Grandmaster. If his name popped up in your feed and you’re wondering who he is, how he earned the title and why the number 100 matters so much, this list gives you the five things worth knowing, in plain words.
Quick Answer: The Top 5 at a Glance
- He’s from Katni, Madhya Pradesh: Anuj Shrivatri is the first Grandmaster ever from his state.
- He won the title directly: First place at the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Ozamiz City gave him a direct GM title.
- He’s an engineer who picked chess: A BTech in AI and ML, a software job, and then a bold switch to full-time chess.
- He completes a 38-year journey: India went from one GM (Viswanathan Anand, 1988) to 100.
- The next target is 200: The All India Chess Federation has already set its sights on doubling the count.
Anuj Shrivatri: Quick Profile
| Detail | What we know |
|---|---|
| Age | 22 |
| Hometown | Katni, Madhya Pradesh |
| Started chess | 2011, at age seven |
| Title-winning event | 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship, Ozamiz City, Philippines |
| Score | 7 points from 9 rounds, clear first |
| Became GM | 8 November 2026 |
| Education | BTech in AI and ML, Lovely Professional University |
1. Anuj Shrivatri Is Madhya Pradesh’s First Grandmaster
Ask anyone to name India’s chess heartland and they’ll say Chennai. Tamil Nadu has produced a big share of India’s Grandmasters, from Viswanathan Anand to world champion D Gukesh. Madhya Pradesh, until this weekend, had none.
Anuj Shrivatri changed that. He grew up in Katni, a city better known for its limestone and railway junction than for chess clubs. According to The Logical Indian, he started playing in 2011 at the age of seven. Both his parents are teachers, and his father, Ashok Shrivatri, has said the family paid for his travel and training themselves.
That detail matters. Chess at the top level is expensive. Players need to fly to tournaments abroad to face strong opponents, pay entry fees, book hotels and often pay for coaching and software. For a family of two schoolteachers in a tier-3 city, that is a serious, years-long commitment.
Reports also say Anuj was earlier the youngest International Master from Madhya Pradesh, so this was not an overnight story. It was a slow climb, title by title.
Why it’s on this list: A “first from the state” milestone tends to have a ripple effect. When a young player in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur or Katni sees someone from their own region become a GM, the goal suddenly feels real. We’ve seen the same pattern in cricket, where small-town heroes inspire the next wave, as our list of U19 World Cup stars who became India greats shows.
- Good to know: His early coaches, as reported, were VK Tiwari, followed by Rajesh Bahadur and Niklesh Jain, who later became his mentor.
- Timing: Reports say 8 November was also his birthday, which made the Diwali-weekend win even sweeter.
2. He Earned a Direct GM Title in the Philippines
Most players become Grandmasters the long way. Under FIDE rules, you normally need three GM “norms” (strong performances against high-rated opponents, spread over at least 27 games) plus a rating of 2500 at some point. That can take years of travel and near misses.
There’s a shortcut, though. Some continental and zonal championships carry a direct title: win the event and FIDE awards you the GM title outright. Anuj Shrivatri took exactly that route.
He won the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Ozamiz City, Philippines, which ended on 8 November 2026. The event ran for nine rounds, and he finished with 7 points, half a point ahead of Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Hoa (6.5). Philippine player Nouri Alekhine was third with 6.
The best part is how he did it. He actually lost his first-round game to Filipino player Arca Karlo, per The Logical Indian. Many players fold after a round-one loss in a short event. Anuj won six of his remaining eight games, including the last two, to finish clear first.
AICF president Nitin Narang announced the news on X with the line “GRANDMASTER No. 100 FOR BHARAT!”, confirming that Anuj had secured the direct GM title.
- Pro: Winning a title outright under pressure says a lot about temperament, not just preparation.
- Good to know: Direct titles are fully valid FIDE titles. A GM is a GM, however the title is earned, and the honour is for life.
3. He’s an AI Engineer Who Chose the Chessboard
Here’s the part of the Anuj Shrivatri story that many young Indians will relate to. He didn’t drop out of studies to chase chess. He did the “safe” thing first.
According to The Logical Indian, he completed a BTech in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from Lovely Professional University and then took a software engineering job with a German company. In a country where a stable tech job is often treated as the finish line, he later left that job to focus on chess full time.
His father has said that competing at the top level demands eight to nine hours of practice a day. That’s hard to fit around a full-time job, and Anuj clearly decided he couldn’t do both halfway. Reports also quote him saying much of his career was spent working mostly on his own because of various constraints.
There’s a nice overlap here, too. Modern chess preparation leans heavily on engines and AI-based analysis, so a background in machine learning is hardly wasted at the board. If you’re a student curious about that side of things, our list of free AI tools for students in India is a good starting point.
Why it’s on this list: His path shows that a degree and a sporting dream don’t have to cancel each other out. Families who worry that chess means giving up on studies now have a very public example of someone who did both.
- Good to know: He was 22 when he became a GM. That’s older than prodigies like Gukesh, who earned the title at 12, but it proves there’s no single “right age” to reach the top tier.
4. India’s 100th Grandmaster Completes a 38-Year Journey
To see why “100” is a big deal, rewind to 1988. That year, a 19-year-old from Chennai named Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster. Progress after that was slow. ESPN notes it took nine years for India to go from one GM to three, with Pravin Thipsay becoming a GM in 1997 (Dibyendu Barua had become the second in 1991).
Then came the boom. Anand’s world titles in the 2000s turned chess into a serious career option for Indian kids. Koneru Humpy became India’s first woman Grandmaster in 2002. Chess academies opened across Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune and beyond. By the time India hosted the Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022, the numbers were climbing fast, and ESPN reports that around 25 Grandmasters have been added since then.
The last few years have been India’s golden era:
- 2024: India won double gold (Open and Women’s) at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
- December 2024: D Gukesh beat Ding Liren in Singapore to become the youngest undisputed world champion, at 18.
- 2025: Divya Deshmukh won the FIDE Women’s World Cup and earned her GM title in the process.
- November 2026: Anuj Shrivatri becomes GM number 100, 38 years after Anand.
Anand himself reacted warmly, telling The Logical Indian it was “a nice moment to sit back and feel satisfied.” Coming from the man who started it all, that’s quite the stamp of approval.
Why it’s on this list: Anuj’s title isn’t only his own win. It’s the round-number marker of how far Indian chess has come, from a one-man show to one of the deepest talent pools in the world.
5. The Next Goal for Indian Chess Is 200 Grandmasters
Indian chess doesn’t do victory laps for long. Within hours of the 100th GM news, AICF president Nitin Narang signed off his post with “Onwards to 200 Grandmasters!”
Is that realistic? Look at the pace. India’s 99th GM came in July 2026, and several players earned the title through the year. If roughly 25 GMs could arrive in about four years after 2022, then 200 is a long-term target rather than a fantasy. It will need more strong tournaments hosted in India, more funding for players from smaller cities, and better access to coaching outside the traditional hubs.
For Anuj Shrivatri personally, the GM title opens doors. Grandmasters get invitations to stronger events, better conditions at open tournaments and more interest from sponsors and academies. His next steps will likely be about raising his rating and testing himself against higher-rated fields.
For Madhya Pradesh, the bigger win may be what follows. A home-grown GM can coach, mentor and simply be visible at local events. That visibility is often what convinces parents in places like Katni or Sagar to let a talented child try chess seriously.
- What to watch: His rating progress over the next year and whether he gets selected for bigger events in India.
- What to watch: Whether state associations outside Tamil Nadu step up support for promising juniors after this milestone.
How We Picked This List
This list is based on published reports from ESPN, The Logical Indian and other outlets covering the 100th Grandmaster milestone, plus well-documented history of Indian chess. We picked the five facts that best explain who Anuj Shrivatri is, how he got the title and why it matters.
Where sources disagreed on small details, such as the exact spelling of the event name, we used the most commonly reported version. We left out things we couldn’t confirm, like his current live rating or the dates of his earlier norms.
Common Myths About Becoming a Chess Grandmaster
The 100th GM news has a lot of parents and young players asking what it really takes. A few myths are worth clearing up.
- Myth: You must start before age five. Starting early helps, but Anuj began at seven and earned the title at 22. Hard work over many years counts more than a head start.
- Myth: You have to quit school. Anuj finished an engineering degree before going full time. Many Indian GMs have balanced studies and chess.
- Myth: Only Chennai produces GMs. Tamil Nadu leads, but India now has Grandmasters from many states, and Madhya Pradesh just joined that list.
- Myth: A direct title is a “lesser” GM. It isn’t. FIDE grants the same title, and you still have to win a tough event against strong opponents.
- Myth: GM means the end of the road. For most players it’s the start. The real fight is climbing towards 2600, 2700 and elite invitations.
Our Take
If you remember just one thing about Anuj Shrivatri, make it the round-one loss. He lost the opening game of a nine-round event with a GM title on the line, then won six of the next eight. That’s the stuff champions are made of.
The best overall takeaway, though, is item 4: India’s 100th Grandmaster is proof that the Anand effect has spread far beyond Chennai. A teacher’s son from Katni with an AI degree is now a Grandmaster. That’s a story every chess-mad kid in India can see themselves in.
FAQs
Who is India’s 100th chess Grandmaster?
Anuj Shrivatri, a 22-year-old from Katni, Madhya Pradesh, became India’s 100th Grandmaster on 8 November 2026.
How did Anuj Shrivatri become a Grandmaster?
He won the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Ozamiz City, Philippines, with 7 points from 9 rounds. The win carried a direct GM title.
Who was India’s first Grandmaster?
Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster in 1988 at the age of 19. He later won the world championship five times.
Is Anuj Shrivatri the first Grandmaster from Madhya Pradesh?
Yes. Reports from ESPN, The Logical Indian and others confirm he is the first player from Madhya Pradesh to earn the GM title.
What does a player need to become a chess Grandmaster?
Usually three GM norms across at least 27 games and a FIDE rating of 2500. Winning certain FIDE-approved championships can also give a direct title.
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Sources: reports from ESPN and The Logical Indian (November 2026), and the FIDE Handbook for title rules. Details are accurate as of November 2026; ratings and title counts change over time.
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