Anuj Shrivatri becomes India's 100th Grandmaster and Madhya Pradesh's first
International Master Anuj Shrivatri secured the title by winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines.
International Master Anuj Shrivatri of Madhya Pradesh became India's 100th Grandmaster on Sunday by winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Ozamiz City, Philippines, according to The Tribune and Times of India.
Shrivatri, who was born in 2004, finished the tournament with seven points after nine rounds. He overcame an initial loss in his opening game to finish half a point ahead of Vietnam's Nguyen Duc Hoa.
The victory also makes Shrivatri the first player from Madhya Pradesh to achieve the Grandmaster title. He had previously earned the International Master (IM) title in 2020.
All India Chess Federation (AICF) President Nitin Narang congratulated Shrivatri on X, calling the achievement a historic milestone and a proud moment for Indian chess. Narang expressed hope that the country would reach 200 Grandmasters next.
The milestone follows the recent addition of S Aswath as the 98th Grandmaster in July and VS Rathanvel as the 99th Grandmaster.