16-year-old Ilamparthi AR from Chennai has created history as he became India’s 90th grandmaster in chess on Thursday, October 30 after securing his final GM norm at the Bijeljina Open in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the Rilton Cup (2024-25), he surpassed the 2500 Elo mark which was the final norm to earn himself the grandmaster title. Ilamparthi, born in 2009, hit the headlines in December 2023, when he claimed his first GM norm at the Ha Noi tournament in Vietnam. His next norm came at the Singapore International Open in 2024.
Ilamparthi is the pupil of Velammal School, the institution which has produced exemplary chess players such as D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa. He became notable after Dutch GM Anish Giri’s generous move of donating his Death Match prize money in 2022 to support Ilamparthi’s training.
Viswanathan Anand congratulated Ilamparthi on his major achievement
Five-time World Chess ChampionViswanathan Anand hailed Ilamparthi for his extraordinary achievement. “Happy to announce Ilamparthi as a GM! He missed the title on a few occasions but came back stronger each time. He has a lot of potential, and we hope to work together towards greater achievements,” wrote Anand on X. The 16-year-old has been trained in Viswanathan’s academy.
Besides Anand, AICF President Nitin Narang also congratulated Ilamparthi. Taking to X account, Naranag wrote, “Grandmaster No. 90 for Bharat! Congratulations to Ilamparth AR on fulfilling all the requirements to become the 90th Grandmaster of the country. Wishing you many more laurels and continued success in making the nation proud.”
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