CM Himanta honours Mayank Chakraborty with Assam Gaurav 2025
Synopsis
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has congratulated Mayank Chakraborty of Kamrup (M) on receiving the Assam Gaurav 2025 in the Sports (Chess) category. The young player is the North East's youngest International Master, its highest FIDE-rated player ever, a three-time National Champion, and a winner of seven international medals.
Key Takeaways
Mayank Chakraborty from Kamrup (Metropolitan) district , Assam, has been conferred the Assam Gaurav 2025 award in the Sports (Chess) category.
He is the youngest International Master from North East India and the region's highest-ever FIDE-rated player .
Chakraborty has won the National Championship three times and claimed seven international medals .
Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly congratulated him via the official Chief Minister's Office account on 10 November 2026 .
The Assam Gaurav is an annual civilian honour recognising excellence across sports, arts, and public service in the state.
A chess prodigy from the heartland of Assam just earned the state's highest civilian recognition — and his record speaks for itself. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Chief Minister's Office of Assam on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 congratulated Mayank Chakraborty of Kamrup (Metropolitan) district on being conferred the prestigious Assam Gaurav 2025 award in the Sports (Chess) category.
Who is Mayank Chakraborty — the records he holds
Mayank Chakraborty is no ordinary awardee. He holds the distinction of being the youngest International Master from North East India — a FIDE title that places him among an elite bracket of competitive chess players. He is also the region's highest-ever FIDE-rated player, a benchmark that underlines both his individual brilliance and the relative scarcity of elite-level chess infrastructure in the North East. Beyond the rating, the numbers are striking: a three-time National Champion and winner of seven international medals. For a player rooted in Guwahati — the urban heart of Kamrup Metropolitan and the gateway city of the North East — those tallies represent years of relentless preparation often without the institutional scaffolding available to players from larger chess hubs.Assam Gaurav — what the award means
The Assam Gaurav is an annual civilian honour instituted by the state government to spotlight individual excellence across fields including sports, arts, and public service. By naming Chakraborty in the Sports (Chess) category for 2025, the Sarma government is making a pointed statement: chess, long overshadowed by cricket and football in the state's sporting imagination, produces world-class talent here too. The award also reflects a deliberate pattern. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has held office since May 2021, has used official channels consistently to amplify awardees and emerging talent — signalling to the sports ecosystem that recognition from Dispur is real and public.What it signals for chess in the North East
Chakraborty's recognition arrives at a moment when Indian chess is in the global spotlight. The state's decision to elevate a chess player — not a cricketer or a footballer — through its top civilian honour sends a message to young players across Assam and the wider North East that the discipline is taken seriously at the highest levels of government. Whether it translates into structured academies, coaching grants, or tournament hosting remains the question the chess community will now press for an answer to. For now, Kamrup Metropolitan has its champion — and Assam has put the board on the map.Point of View
And Mayank Chakraborty fits that arc perfectly: a record-setter in a discipline that rarely gets institutional attention in the region. The award also arrives when Indian chess commands global prestige, making the timing politically savvy. The real test, however, is whether the recognition translates into policy investment — academies, coaching funds, or competitive hosting rights — that could sustain the next generation of players from Assam.
NationPress
10 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mayank Chakraborty the chess player from Assam?
Mayank Chakraborty is a chess player from Kamrup (Metropolitan) district in Assam. He is the youngest International Master from North East India, the region's highest-ever FIDE-rated player, a three-time National Champion, and a winner of seven international medals.
What is the Assam Gaurav award?
The Assam Gaurav is an annual civilian honour instituted by the Assam state government to recognise outstanding individual achievement in fields including sports, arts, and public service. It is one of the state's most prestigious recognitions.
What award did Mayank Chakraborty win in 2025?
Mayank Chakraborty received the Assam Gaurav 2025 award in the Sports (Chess) category, as announced and congratulated by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Who is the highest FIDE-rated chess player from North East India?
According to the Chief Minister's Office of Assam, Mayank Chakraborty is the highest-ever FIDE-rated chess player from North East India.
How many times has Mayank Chakraborty won the National Chess Championship?
Mayank Chakraborty has won the National Chess Championship three times, as stated in the official communication from the Chief Minister's Office of Assam.
