In Chess, Raahul VS has become India’s 91st Grandmaster after clinching the 6th ASEAN Individual Championship title with a round to spare. Raahul had previously earned the International Master title in November 2021 after achieving his fourth and fifth IM norms and surpassing a 2400 live rating.
Just a week earlier, Chennai’s Illamparthi AR became India’s 90th Grandmaster by securing his final norm at the Bijeljina Open 2025 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before him, S Rohith Krishna earned the 89th GM title in August after scoring 6 out of 9 points at the Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup in Kazakhstan and crossing the 2500 Elo rating threshold.
The Grandmaster (GM) title, awarded by FIDE, is the highest distinction in chess—ranking above International Master (IM), FIDE Master (FM), and Candidate Master (CM).
