16-yr-old Ilamparthi A R becomes India’s 90th Grandmaster

New Delhi: Young chess prodigy Ilamparthi A R on Thursday became India’s latest Grandmaster after achieving his final norm at the GM4 Bijeljina 2025 Chess Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The 16-year-old from Chennai became India’s 90th Grandmaster.

“Grandmaster No. 90 for Bharat! Congratulations to Ilamparthi AR on fulfilling all the requirements to become the 90th Grandmaster of the country. Wishing you many more laurels and continued success in making the nation proud,” AICF president Nitin Narang wrote on 'X'.

Ilamparthi had earned his first Grandmaster norm at the Ha Noi tournament in Vietnam in December 2023, followed by his second at the Singapore International Open in 2024.

He crossed the 2500 Elo rating mark during the Rilton Cup (2024–25), and the final norm in Bosnia sealed his Grandmaster title.

“Happy to announce Ilamparthi as a GM! He has been missing the title on a few occasions but each time he came back and worked harder . I really believe he has a lot of potential and we hope to work together towards greater achievements," Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand wrote on 'X'.