Overview
- Shrivatri clinched the crown by winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship on Sunday, finishing with seven points from nine rounds.
- He recovered from an opening loss and won the final two rounds to finish half a point clear of Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Hoa.
- The result makes Shrivatri the first reported Grandmaster from Madhya Pradesh and completes a personal rise that began with his International Master title in 2020.
- The milestone comes 38 years after Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster and drew public praise from Anand for the pace of new titles.
- India has added multiple Grandmasters in quick succession this year, a sign that coaching, academies and tournament exposure are deepening the country’s talent pipeline.