L.R. Srihari from Tamil Nadu Crowned as India’s 86th Grandmaster in Chess.
Sports
On May 15, 2025, 19-year-old L.R. Srihari from Tamil Nadu (TN) earned the prestigious title of India’s 86th Chess Grandmaster (GM) after clinching his third and final GM norm at the 2025 Asian Individual Men's Chess Championship held from May 6 to 15 in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- Srihari secured the norm during a notable match against fellow Indian Grandmaster Iniyan Paneerselvam.
- Earlier, Tamil Nadu’s P. Shyaamnikhil became India’s 85th Grandmaster on May 12, 2024, during the Dubai Police Masters Chess Tournament in Dubai.
Main Point :- (i) L.R. Srihari earned his first GM norm at the Budapest GM Round-Robin held in August 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. He secured his second GM norm at the 2023 Qatar Masters in October 2023 in Qatar. He crossed the minimum 2500 FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) Elo rating at the 2024 Dubai Open Chess Tournament.
(ii) To become a FIDE Grandmaster (GM), a player must attain a minimum FIDE Elo rating of 2500. Additionally, the player must secure three GM norms in FIDE-recognized tournaments.
(iii) India’s first GM was Viswanathan Anand in 1988, who later became India’s first World Chess Champion. The first Woman GM of India was Koneru Humpy, who earned the title in 2002 at the age of 15, becoming the youngest woman Grandmaster in the world at that time.
About International Chess Federation (FIDE Fédération Internationale des Échecs)
President : Arkady Dvorkovich
Headquarters : Lausanne, Switzerland
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