CM Samrat Choudhary Hails India's 100th Chess Grandmaster
Synopsis
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary celebrated Anuj Shrivatri becoming India's 100th chess Grandmaster, calling it a golden chapter in the nation's chess history and saluting all 100 Grandmasters along with their coaches for raising the honour of the Tricolour.
Key Takeaways
Anuj Shrivatri has become India's 100th chess Grandmaster , completing a historic milestone for the country.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary posted a congratulatory tribute on 9 November 2026 , praising Shrivatri and all 100 Indian Grandmasters.
India's chess journey began with Viswanathan Anand becoming the country's first Grandmaster in 1988 .
The sharp rise in Indian Grandmasters over the last decade has been driven by wider coaching access, online platforms, and domestic tournaments.
CM Choudhary specifically acknowledged coaches and mentors as integral to the milestone, not just the players themselves.
India's growing pool of elite players positions the country as a leading force ahead of upcoming FIDE events and the Chess Olympiad cycle .
India just wrote a line into chess history that few nations can match. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Monday, 9 November 2026 took to X to celebrate Anuj Shrivatri becoming India's 100th chess Grandmaster — a milestone that marks the country's extraordinary journey from a single titled player to a century of them.
Posting in Hindi, CM Choudhary called it 'a new golden chapter in Indian chess history' — 'भारत के शतरंज इतिहास में एक नया स्वर्णिम अध्याय'. He extended congratulations to Shrivatri, to all 100 Grandmasters, and to their coaches and mentors, writing that they had 'raised the honour of the Tricolour' through their talent and achievements.
From Anand's Lone Title to a Century of Grandmasters
The arc of this milestone stretches back to 1988, when Viswanathan Anand became India's first Grandmaster — a solitary pioneer in a sport the country had barely begun to take seriously at the elite level. For the next decade and a half, progress was measured in ones and twos. Then something shifted. Wider access to coaching infrastructure, the explosion of online chess platforms, and a growing domestic tournament circuit turned a trickle into a torrent.
The last decade in particular saw the sharpest acceleration. Young players from smaller cities and towns began earning international norms at a pace that would have been unimaginable in the Anand era. The result: a country that reached its 50th Grandmaster milestone only in the mid-2010s has now doubled that number.
What Anuj Shrivatri's Title Means for Indian Chess
Earning a Grandmaster title from FIDE — chess's global governing body — requires a player to cross a 2500 Elo rating threshold and secure three Grandmaster norms in qualifying international tournaments. It is a multi-year grind of preparation, travel, and pressure. Anuj Shrivatri's achievement is therefore not a single moment but the summit of a long climb — one that now, symbolically, completes a round hundred for India.
CM Choudhary's tribute pointedly credited not just the players but their trainers and guides — the unheralded architects of each title. It is a nod to the ecosystem rather than individual genius alone: the coaches in academies, the parents who backed unconventional career choices, and the club-level organisers who ran the feeder tournaments.
India's Chess Ambitions on the Global Stage
Reaching 100 Grandmasters gives India a depth of elite talent that now rivals the traditional chess superpowers of Europe and Central Asia. With the next Chess Olympiad cycle on the horizon and Indian players regularly featuring in top FIDE events, the question is no longer whether India belongs at the top table — it is how far up that table the country can climb. A hundred Grandmasters is not a finish line. It is a launchpad.
Point of View
Association with the milestone feeds a broader 'New India' narrative of youth achievement and global competitiveness. CM Choudhary's deliberate mention of coaches and mentors signals political awareness that credit must be distributed to sustain the ecosystem. With India now holding one of the largest GM pools globally, the country's chess ambitions are shifting from participation to dominance — and policy attention to elite sports funding will be watched closely.
NationPress
9 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is India's 100th chess Grandmaster?
Anuj Shrivatri is identified as India's 100th chess Grandmaster, an achievement celebrated by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on 9 November 2026 .
Who was India's first chess Grandmaster?
Viswanathan Anand became India's first chess Grandmaster in 1988 , pioneering the country's journey to its current milestone of 100 titled players.
What does it take to become a chess Grandmaster?
A player must cross the 2500 Elo rating threshold set by FIDE, the global chess governing body, and secure three Grandmaster norms in qualifying international tournaments.
Why has India produced so many chess Grandmasters recently?
Growth has accelerated due to wider access to quality coaching, the rise of online chess platforms, and an expanding domestic tournament circuit that provides competitive opportunities to players across the country.
What did Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary say about India's 100 Grandmasters?
CM Choudhary called it 'a new golden chapter in Indian chess history,' congratulated all 100 Grandmasters and their coaches, and said they had 'raised the honour of the Tricolour' through their achievements.
