India, on Sunday, became the fourth nation in the world to have 100 chess Grandmasters. The country reached the milestone after Anuj Shrivatri, from Katni in Madhya Pradesh, became its 100th GM on November 8, following his victory at the ASEAN Plus Open in the Philippines.
For the first 27 years of India’s chess journey, the country had no Grandmasters. That changed in 1988, when Viswanathan Anand became India’s first GM. For two years, he remained part of a club of one, before Dibyendu Barua became India’s second Grandmaster in 1991. By the turn of the century, the tally had increased by just one more.
The numbers began to rise thereafter. India had 32 grandmasters by 2013 and reached the halfway mark of 50 just four years later. The pace picked up considerably after that, with the next 50 coming in less than nine years. Ten of those were added in 2026 alone.
The geographical base of Indian chess has widened as well. At 22, Anuj is also the first Grandmaster from Madhya Pradesh. India now has GMs from Assam, Rajasthan and even Goa.
Tamil Nadu, however, remains comfortably ahead of the rest. Anand had sparked a chess revolution in the state, and the legacy has continued, with Tamil Nadu producing the likes of R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh in recent years.
In fact, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal together account for 65% of India’s grandmasters, although the list now features representatives from 14 states.
