Rohith Krishna becomes India's 89th Chess Grandmaster
(Courtesy : @Udhaystalin/Twitter)
Rohith Krishna secured his final GM Norm in Kazakhstan
India’s chess community has welcomed a new addition to its roster of distinguished players, as S Rohith Krishna has officially earned the Grandmaster title, becoming the country’s 89th player to do so.
The Tamil Nadu youngster sealed the feat at the Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup in Kazakhstan, scoring 6/9 and crossing the 2500 Elo rating mark, which was his final step in the GM journey.
Earlier this year, Rohith secured his maiden GM norm at the Hotel Stockholm North Young Talents GM Tournament in Sweden. He went unbeaten with a score of 6.5/9, posting a performance rating of 2638 and gaining 18.8 Elo points to reach 2495 in the March rating list.
He followed up with a second GM norm and continued to maintain form with tournament victories, including the 2nd Maharashtra GM Open 2023, the 19th Malakoff Open in France, and the Ostravský Koník Open A in the Czech Republic.
Early life and career progression
Born in 2005, Rohith began making his mark in chess at a young age. He earned the Candidate Masters title in 2017 and became a FIDE Master in 2019. Crossing the 2400 mark in September 2018, he scored the final two norms at the Serbia Open Masters and the Svetozar Gligoric Memorial Open, thus achieving International Master status in 2022.
He has been training under coach K. Visweswaran, steadily building his rating and collecting strong results on the tournament circuit.
At the recent Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup, he scored 6/9, completing his third and final GM norm while also surpassing the required 2500 rating.
Also Read: Full list of chess Grandmasters from India
India’s Grandmaster boom
Rohith’s success comes in a year when Indian chess has seen multiple new GMs. Recently, Divya Deshmukh became the 88th Grandmaster by winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, defeating Koneru Humpy in the final and securing a place in the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
Earlier, A. Ra Harikrishnan became the 87th Grandmaster at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France after completing his norms in Switzerland and Spain.
Rohith now joins this growing list of achievers, further increasing India’s presence in the global chess elite.
Who is Rohith Krishna?
Born in 2005, Rohith Krishna earned the Candidate Masters title in 2017 and became a FIDE Master in 2019. He then achieved the International Master status in 2022, before completing his GM norms this year and earning his Grandmaster title.
Rohith Krishna is which number chess grandmaster of India?
He is the 89th Chess Grandmaster to come out of India.
How does a chess player become grandmaster?
A chess player becomes a Grandmaster (GM), the highest title awarded by FIDE (the International Chess Federation), by achieving three Grandmaster “norms” and reaching a FIDE rating of at least 2500 at some point in their career.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram
Ansh is a sports content creator and aspiring data scientist with a focus on Olympic sports like badminton and chess. A state-level badminton player and 1900+ rated chess enthusiast, his content has been reshared by top athletes including HS Prannoy and Vidit Gujrathi. Follow Ansh for the latest updates on your favorite sports!
- Indian Comedian Samay Raina wins Chess Super Pogchamps; Donates prize money to promote the sport
- Top five all-time youngest Indian chess players to achieve FIDE rating
- Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha becomes youngest FIDE-rated chess player at just 3 years old
- Top five players who impressed at FIDE Chess World Cup 2025
- FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 Payouts: How much did Indian chess players earn in prize money?