Anuj Shrivatri Becomes India's 100th Chess Grandmaster

Anuj Shrivatri became India's 100th chess grandmaster on Sunday by winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines. This milestone arrives 38 years after Viswanathan Anand earned the title as India's first grandmaster in 1988, while also making Anuj the first chess grandmaster from the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Career Pivot

Anuj became an international master in 2020 at the age of 19, just before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted competitive sports. After completing a BTech in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from Lovely Professional University, he worked as a software engineer for a German firm and received an offer to relocate to Germany. He chose to leave his stable corporate job to dedicate eight to nine hours daily to chess. His father Ashok Shrivatri, a teacher, supported the career shift, stating that chess always came first for the family despite financial sacrifices and drained annual savings.

Coaches and Training

Starting his chess journey as a seven-year-old in Katni in 2011, Anuj trained under his first coach VK Tiwari and later learned from mentors including Niklesh Jain. Jain recalled that Anuj displayed an intense competitive spirit and deep hunger for knowledge, often needing his chess books forcibly taken away during a tournament trip in Spain so he could rest.

Context

India has experienced a massive surge in chess talent in recent years, producing a rapid wave of young grandmasters and elite players on the global stage. This growth is supported by a rising number of international tournaments in Asia and dedicated familial support structures that help young players sustain professional careers in the sport.