Srihari LR Becomes India’s 86th Chess Grandmaster

India has earned its 86th chess Grandmaster, as 19-year-old Srihari LR from Chennai secured his third and final Grandmaster norm at the Asian Individual Men’s Chess Championship held in Al-Ain, UAE. With this feat, India continues to solidify its status as a rising chess powerhouse.

Why in News?

Srihari LR’s confirmation as a Grandmaster comes 368 days after India’s 85th GM title was achieved by Shyaamnikhil P. His achievement marks a significant milestone in Indian chess and reflects the consistent grooming of young talent in the country.

Background & Journey

• Srihari LR hails from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• He is trained at Chess Thulir Academy, under the mentorship of GM Shyamsundar.

He earned

• First GM norm at Qatar Masters 2023
• Second GM norm at Chennai GM Open 2024
• Third GM norm at Asian Individual Championship 2025 (Al-Ain, UAE)
• Crossed the mandatory 2500 Elo rating in August 2024.

Al-Ain Championship Performance

• Faced 8 Grandmasters in 9 rounds.
• Remained unbeaten in the first 8 rounds.
• Beat GMs like Abhijeet Gupta and Pranav V.

Drew against top GMs including,

• AR Saleh Salem (UAE)
• Xu Xiangyu (China)
• Aleksey Grebnev (FIDE)

Coaching & Mentorship

• His coach, Shyamsundar, has also mentored Pranav V, the current World Junior Champion.
• This makes Srihari the 2nd player from Chess Thulir to become a Grandmaster.

Significance

• India now has 86 Grandmasters.
• The journey from the 1st GM Viswanathan Anand (1988) to today shows remarkable growth:
• 1988–2013: 35 GMs in 25 years.
• 2013–2025: 51 GMs in just 12 years.
• Reflects the rising dominance of India in global chess.