On Sunday, Madhya Pradesh’s Anuj Shrivatri won the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines and became India’s 100th GM. It’s been 38 years since Viswanathan Anand became India’s first-ever Grandmaster (GM) and later went on to become its first World Chess Champion. Anand, who is also the interim President of the International Chess Federation, feels proud of the growth that Indian chess has shown.
We have Vaishali Rameshbabu, who is soon set to challenge for the Women’s World Chess Championship title and could very well become a champion. We have multiple Olympiad titles. We continue to shine, which makes me happy. Chess remains a game where you need to explain the nuances a lot to the audience. So, we must continue working on that. As you build the sport, you build the fan base and engagement, which also makes it far more attractive for sponsors.”
“100 is a wonderful number and is a moment for all of us to pause and celebrate the pride we feel as it signifies the growth Indian chess has achieved, which is one of the things that makes me proudest. .
For it to come during the festive season makes it all the more lovely, giving us another reason to celebrate,” shares Anand, adding, “ We have a current World Chess Champion in D Gukesh. However, despite all the progress, he says there is always room for continuous improvement: “It’s wonderful that we’ve reached this stage, but we have to keep building on it and making chess more popular.
