Tamil Nadu's Aswath S has become India's 98th Grandmaster after securing his third and final Grandmaster norm at the Pune International GM Round Robin 2026.
The teenager clinched the title by defeating FM Kannan Vaidyanathan with the black pieces in the final round. He finished the tournament with 7 out of 9 points, completing the final requirement for the coveted Grandmaster title.
"It is very amazing to feel that I'm a Grandmaster right now," Aswath told TOI in Pune. "It had slipped away for almost the last two years. I crossed 2500 in December, so after that, I had to score only the norms, but it took me so long."
Class 10 board exams delayed return to competitive chess
Aswath revealed that the Pune tournament was his first classical event of the year after taking a four-month break from chess to focus on his Class 10 board examinations.
"This was my first classical tournament this year because I had to study for my 10th board exams," he said. "For four months, from January to April, I didn't see chess."
Journey to the Grandmaster title
Aswath earned his first Grandmaster norm by winning the Grenke Open A ahead of several experienced Grandmasters.
His second norm came at the First Saturday GM Round Robin in Budapest in December 2025, where he also scored 7 out of 9 points and crossed the 2500 FIDE rating mark.
The third norm at the Pune International GM Round Robin completed his Grandmaster title.
Chess runs in the family
Aswath's introduction to chess began in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, where his father, A.C. Siva, runs a chess academy as a full-time coach.
"I started playing chess when I was three years old, and my coach was my father," Aswath said. "At that age, I used to roam around the academy saying the chess pieces' names. Then I started playing and entered a tournament at the age of four."
He recalled winning the Tamil Nadu Under-7 State Championship with a perfect 9 out of 9 score at the age of seven, describing it as one of the biggest motivations to pursue chess professionally.
His mother, Sheela, teaches beginners at the academy, while his elder sister also competed in chess.
Challenges on the road to success
Despite showing promise from an early age, Aswath said gaining exposure to strong tournaments remained one of the biggest challenges.
He noted that many lower-rated Indian players are stronger than their ratings suggest, making rating gains more difficult at home than overseas. However, he added that competing abroad requires financial support and sponsorship.
Coaches played key role in development
After the pandemic, Aswath trained under IM Senthil Maran before beginning work with Grandmaster Shyam Sundar in late 2023.
Shyam Sundar described Aswath as hardworking, disciplined and determined, adding that the youngster remains free from social media distractions and is receptive to coaching advice, as per TOI report.
The coach also said he has created a collaborative training environment in which players of similar strength share study materials. He added that Aswath also pays attention to physical fitness by exercising at home and participating in different sports.
Grandmaster title is only the beginning
A Class 11 commerce student at Velammal School in Chennai, Aswath said achieving the Grandmaster title marks the beginning of a longer journey in chess.
"GM is just a starting of the real chess world, actually, to be frank," he said. "There's a lot more to go, like 2600, 2700, the top world rankings. My short-term goal would be 2600."
(With inputs from TOI)
