Raahul VS won the sixth ASEAN Individual Championship
Victory confirmed his final Grandmaster norm
All India Chess Federation president Nitin Narang lauds youngster
Raahul VS, a 21-year-old Indian chess player and Asian junior champion, has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the country's 91st Grandmaster. He secured this prestigious title after winning the sixth ASEAN Individual Championship, held in the Philippines, with a round to spare.
This victory confirmed his final GM norm, thereby fulfilling all the requirements for the Grandmaster title as outlined by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
The All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Nitin Narang expressed his admiration for Raahul on X, stating, "Heartiest congratulations to Raahul V S for clinching the ASEAN Individual Championship with a round to spare and, in the process, becoming the 91st Grandmaster of the nation! Wishing you many more milestones ahead and continued success in making Bharat proud!"
Path To Grandmaster: Achievements And Requirements
Raahul VS began his journey towards becoming a Grandmaster with his attainment of the International Master (IM) title in 2021. That year, he secured his fourth and fifth IM norms and surpassed the 2400 live rating mark, marking a critical step in his career progression.
The Grandmaster title is the highest accolade in chess, awarded by FIDE, the global governing body headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. To earn a GM norm, a player must achieve a tournament performance rating of at least 2600. Furthermore, securing the GM title requires collecting three such norms over a minimum of 27 games, along with reaching a FIDE rating of 2500 at some point.
Recent Indian Grandmasters
Raahul VS' promotion to Grandmaster makes him India’s second Grandmaster in as many weeks, following prodigy Ilamparthi AR, who achieved the feat on October 30. Before him, Rohith Krishna had become the country’s 89th Grandmaster in August.
(With PTI inputs)
