GRANDMASTER NORMS
17-year-old Indian chess player faces US visa delays, Rs 50 lakh debt and scholarship uncertainty despite two GM norms
Indian chess prodigy Md Imran is caught in a frustrating situation as US visa delays threaten his scholarship. Following the loss of his passport during a tournament in Slovakia, he has encountered numerous visa application challenges. Despite his remarkable achievements in chess, this predicament has heightened his stress and adversely impacted his gameplay.
Meet Bodhana Sivanandan, the British chess prodigy who defeated a grandmaster and earned the Woman International Master title
Harrow, North West London. Introducing 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, a British-Indian chess prodigy who is making waves with her great showing in competitive chess. She started playing in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown and learned the game by watching YouTube videos. Since then she has represented England at the Chess Olympiad, defeated grandmaster Pete Wells and won many prestigious chess titles.
Meet Faustino Oro, the Argentine chess prodigy who became a grandmaster at 10 years, 8 months and 16 days, setting a record as the youngest South American grandmaster
Faustino Oro started playing chess at just six, during the COVID-19 lockdown. Within a few years, the Argentine teenager was breaking records once thought almost untouchable. At 10 years, 8 months and 16 days, he became the youngest International Master in chess history. By 12, he had reached Grandmaster status, turning an extraordinary childhood talent into one of chess’s most closely watched young careers.
Meet teenager Aswath S from Tami Nadu, India's 98th grandmaster, who started playing at the age of 3
Aswath S from Tamil Nadu achieved Grandmaster status, becoming India's 98th. He secured his third norm at the Pune International GM Round Robin tournament. Aswath took a break from chess for his Class 10 board examinations. His father, a chess coach, introduced him to the game at a young age. The young Grandmaster aims for higher ratings and world rankings.
India is the strongest chess playing nation: Vijayalakshmi hails country's rapid rise
Chennai's Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi, India's first IM and WGM, asserts the nation's chess dominance is unmatched and will only grow. She highlights Chennai's pivotal role, from pioneers like Manuel Aaron and Vishwanathan Anand to current stars Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa. Vijayalakshmi also reflects on her near-miss GM title and contemplates a comeback.
Arjun Erigaisi, the chess grandmaster who shocked Magnus Carlsen to became only Indian after Viswanathan Anand to finish at the World Rapid podium
Indian chess prodigy Arjun Erigaisi secured a bronze medal at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship, defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. This historic podium finish makes him the second Indian male player to achieve this feat. Erigaisi's remarkable performance capped a year of significant victories against top players.
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Fans call out Vladimir Kramnik for Daniel Naroditsky's death - here's what happened
Daniel Naroditsky is gone—just 29. Fans are now calling out former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, linking his 2024 cheating accusations to Naroditsky’s mental health struggles. The Charlotte Chess Center confirmed his passing on October 19, 2025, while the official cause remains undisclosed. Kramnik’s controversial response on X has intensified backlash, igniting debate over accountability and ethics in professional chess.
Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky dies at 29, shocking global chess community
Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died unexpectedly Sunday at age 29, the Charlotte Chess Center confirmed Monday. The U.S. chess champion, popular content creator with 822,000 combined followers, and educator leaves legacy spanning competitive play, online instruction, and commentary across major tournaments.
Meet Bodhana Sivanandan, child prodigy checkmates 60-year old legend — at 10, she’s chess' youngest female star
10-year-old chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has made history as the youngest female to defeat a grandmaster in a classical match, achieving this milestone at the 2025 British Chess Championship against Grandmaster Peter Wells. Her remarkable victory not only breaks records but also highlights her talent, extraordinary skill, and potential to inspire young chess enthusiasts around the world to pursue the game seriously.
Divya Deshmukh: How a Nagpur girl became India's brand new Chess queen
In 2025, Divya Deshmukh secured a historic win at the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi. The 19-year-old defeated Koneru Humpy in a tense final. This victory made her the first Indian woman to win the title. She also earned the Grandmaster title. Divya's journey from Nagpur included balancing chess with academics.
India’s 19-year-old chess star Divya Deshmukh becomes Grandmaster. Anand Mahindra reminds us of the unsung woman behind her
Divya Deshmukh, a 19-year-old, secures victory at the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup. She defeats Koneru Humpy in a tiebreaker. This win earns her the Grandmaster title. Deshmukh becomes the fourth Indian woman to achieve this feat. Her victory sparks national celebration. Anand Mahindra and Viswanathan Anand praise her achievement. She expresses shock and happiness at her win.
FIDE Women's World Cup final: Humpy draws with Divya in first game
In a tense FIDE Women's World Cup final, Divya Deshmukh, the young Indian International Master, drew with veteran Koneru Humpy in game one. Despite early opportunities for Divya, Humpy's resilience led to a draw after 41 moves. The third-place playoff saw a quick draw between Chinese players Zhongyi Tan and Lei Tingjie.
‘Chinese semi-finalists vanquished’: Anand Mahindra can’t keep calm as its India vs India in Chess World Cup final. Who are they?
India secures a historic win at the 2025 FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup. The final match features an all-Indian showdown. Koneru Humpy, a chess icon, will compete against Divya Deshmukh, a rising star. Anand Mahindra expresses excitement about the Indian finalists. This event marks India's first-ever claim to the Women’s World Cup title. The final is scheduled for July 26.
Delhi GM Open offers prize purse of Rs 1.21 crore
The 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament is set to take place in New Delhi from June 7-14, attracting over 2,500 players from more than 15 countries. Organized by the Delhi Chess Association, the tournament boasts a prize pool of Rs 1.21 crore and will feature 20 Grandmasters.
Vaishali becomes GM, joins Praggnanandhaa to form world's first brother-sister Grandmasters duo
The 22-year old Chennai-based Vaishali crossed the 2500 mark at the tournament in Spain where she defeated Turkish FM Tamer Tarik Selbes in the second round. She obtained her third GM norm at the Qatar Masters tournament in October and needed to increase her ELO rating. They also became the first-ever brother-sister duo to make the Candidates, the qualifying event for the World Championship match. The Candidates will be held in Toronto in April.
Aditya Samant becomes India's 83rd chess Grandmaster
Maharashtra player Samant had already crossed the 2500 Elo mark in the live ratings and had obtained two GM norms, Hence, the third and final norm was all he needed to become India's latest Grandmaster. To become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points.
M Pranesh becomes India's 79th chess Grandmaster
Seeded 22nd, the Indian made a clean sweep of the field in Stockholm, winning eight games and finishing a full point ahead of IM Kaan Kucuksari (Sweden) and GM Nikita Meshkovs (Latvia) as the tournament concluded late on Thursday.
Bengaluru teen Pranav Anand becomes India's 76th Chess Grandmaster
Pranav Anand had scored the third and final GM norm at the 55th Biel Chess Festival in Switzerland in July. He had also beaten GM Maxime Lagarde of France (2631), GM Sethuraman S P(2623), drawn with GM Aryan Chopra (2610) and GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia (2661) in the event.
Chennai lad Pranav becomes India's 75th Grandmaster
Pranav is the 27th Grandmaster from Tamil Nadu, a list which includes the legendary Viswanathan Anand and teen sensations D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa among others.
Rahul Srivatshav becomes India's 74th Grandmaster
The 19-year old player reached the 2500 Elo live rating mark after drawing his 8th round game against Grandmaster Levan Pantsulaia in the Cattolica event. His current Elo rating is 2468.
Bharath Subramaniyam becomes India's 73rd chess Grandmaster
Fellow Indian player M R Lalith Babu emerged winner in the tournament with seven points, winning the title on the basis of a better tie-break score after he tied with three others including top-seed Anton Korobov (Ukraine).
Mitrabha Guha becomes India's 72nd Grand Master
The Kolkata player had scored his second GM norm at the Sheikh Russel GM tournament in Bangladesh a fortnight ago and had also crossed the 2500 Elo barrier in the second round of the tournament.
Sankalp Gupta becomes India's 71st GM, maestro Anand congratulates
Sankalp Gupta won five games, drew three and lost one to Rudik Makrarian (Russia) to take the second place with 6.5 points in the GM tournament in Serbia which concluded late on Sunday.
The dark side of chess: Payoffs, points and 12-year-old grandmasters
Chess grandmasters are not made in a day. Even the brightest talents need years to earn the highest and most coveted title in the game. To achieve it, a player must gain a high rating through strong tournament play and by collecting a series of bench marks, called norms, in games at qualified events.
Meet Abhimanyu Mishra, the 12-year-old boy who became youngest Grandmaster in chess history
The prodigy scored his third GM norm in Budapest, Hungary.
Delhi International Chess Tournament draws record participation
The star-studded field comprises 21 Grandmasters and 20 International Masters, including Boris Grachev, among around 190 participants, as of now.
Swapnil Dhopade in sole lead in Grandmaster Chess
Maharashtra's Triple Grandmaster Norm holder Swapnil is followed by International Master Cruz Jonathan of Peru at 6.0 points.
Viswanathan Anand losses in World Championship but good year for Indian chess
Five-time winner Viswanathan Anand lost his bid in the Sochi World Championship but Indian men's team clinched a historic bronze at 41st Olympiad.
S L Narayanan close to Grandmaster norm in World Junior Chess
After winning the national junior championship some time back, Narayanan had announced his arrival in the Indian chess scene.
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