S. Rohith Krishna Becomes India’s 89th Chess Grandmaster.
Sports
In August 2025, 19-year-old S. Rohith Krishna, an engineering student from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, achieved his final Grandmaster (GM) norm and officially became India’s 89th Chess Grandmaster. He attained a FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) rating of 2516 as of July 2025, marking a significant milestone in his chess career.
- S. Rohith Krishna secured his final GM norm at the Almaty Masters Qonayev Cup in Kazakhstan by scoring 6 points out of 9 and crossing the 2500 Elo rating mark. In the final round, he defeated Armenian International Master Artur Davtyan to clinch the prestigious title.
- His journey toward the GM title began in February 2025, when he achieved his first GM norm at the Hotel Stockholm North GM Round-Robin tournament with an unbeaten score of 6.5/9. He later secured his second GM norm at the 25th Dubai Open in June 2025, strengthening his path toward the grandmaster title.
- Before this achievement, Rohith Krishna had already made his mark by earning the title of International Master (IM) in 2022. This early success demonstrated his consistency and potential in international chess circuits, which paved the way for his elevation to the highest chess title.
Main Point :- (i) According to the FIDE criteria for Grandmaster qualification, a player must secure three GM norms in official FIDE-rated events against strong titled players, along with crossing the 2500 Elo rating threshold. Rohith fulfilled these requirements successfully, marking him as one of the fastest rising stars in Indian chess.
(ii) With this achievement, India now has 89 Chess Grandmasters, strengthening the country’s presence in global chess.
(iii) Rohith Krishna’s success adds to India’s growing reputation as a chess powerhouse, following the legacy of pioneers like Viswanathan Anand, while inspiring future generations of players.
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