Almaty, Kazakhstan – India has a new chess Grandmaster (GM) in Rohith Krishna S, who achieved the coveted title on Tuesday at the Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup in Kazakhstan. The 20-year-old secured his third and final GM norm by defeating Armenian International Master (IM) Artur Davtyan in the last round, finishing the tournament with six points out of nine.
Journey to Grandmaster Status
Coached by K. Visweswaran, Rohith Krishna S has shown consistent progress throughout 2025. His maiden GM norm was earned in March when he triumphed at the Hotel Stockholm North GM Round-Robin tournament. This was followed by his second GM norm at the prestigious Dubai Open in June.
Rohith had previously attained the title of International Master (IM) in 2022, laying the groundwork for his Grandmaster aspirations. To become a Grandmaster, a player typically needs to achieve a FIDE classical rating of 2500 or higher at any point and secure three GM norms, which are performances above a certain rating threshold in specific FIDE-rated tournaments.
India’s Growing Pool of Chess Talent
Rohith Krishna S is now India’s 89th Grandmaster, adding to the nation’s rapidly growing list of chess prodigies. India’s first Grandmaster, Viswanathan Anand, achieved the title in 1988. Rohith’s achievement comes shortly after Divya Deshmukh became India’s 88th Grandmaster last month with her historic triumph at the FIDE World Cup. This continuous emergence of new GMs underscores India’s rising prominence in the global chess landscape.
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