Pune: Seventeen-year-old Aswath S from Tamil Nadu has become India’s 98th Grandmastercompleting his third and final Grandmaster norm at the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin Tournament after an impressive comeback in the closing rounds.
The teenager secured the coveted title by defeating USA’s FM Kannan Vaidyanathan with the black pieces in the final round, finishing the nine-round tournament with 7 points from 9 games at The Fern Habitat in Pune.
Strong finish seals Grandmaster title
Aswath entered the final round knowing that only a victory would secure his third Grandmaster norm.
His campaign, however, had begun on a difficult note. Seeded second behind Grandmaster Abhijeet GuptaAswath managed just 1.5 points from the first three roundssuffering a defeat to Gupta and drawing with IM Kushagra Mohan.
He recovered with back-to-back victories in the fourth and fifth rounds before being held to a draw by young FM Advik Amit Agrawal in the sixth round.
That result left him requiring victories in all of his remaining three games.
Speaking after the tournament, Aswath said he focused on keeping things simple despite the pressure.
He then defeated GM Aleksej Aleksandrov, IM Akshay Borgaonkarand finally FM Kannan Vaidyanathan to complete the required norm and earn the Grandmaster title.
Remarkable rise in international chess
The Pune triumph marked Aswath’s return to classical chess after taking a break to prepare for his Class 10 board examinations.
His previous classical tournament was in December 2025when he claimed his second Grandmaster norm by winning the First Saturday GM Round Robin in Budapest with 7/9 points.
Earlier in 2025, he earned his maiden GM norm at the Bitter Open A in Germany. There, he remained unbeaten, scored 8/9topped the standings on tie-breaks, and recorded an outstanding 2779 performance rating.
Born in 2008Aswath currently holds a FIDE standard rating of 2517. He became an International Master (IM) in 2023 and had already crossed the mandatory 2500 Elo rating required for the Grandmaster title before completing his final norm in Pune.
Chess runs in the family
Chess has been an integral part of Aswath’s life since early childhood.
He learnt the game from his father, A.C. Shivawho was his first coach. His parents run Cape Chess Academy in Nagercoil, with the academy located above their family home.
His mother, who took up chess after marriage, now coaches beginner and intermediate players at the academy.
Aswath started competing in district-level tournaments at the age of four and achieved his first major breakthrough by winning an Under-7 state championship in 2015 with a perfect 9/9 score.
He is currently a student at Velammal in Chennai and trains under Grandmaster Shyam Sundarwhile continuing to pursue chess as his primary career.
India edges closer to 100 Grandmasters
Aswath’s achievement brings India another step closer to the landmark of 100 Grandmasters.
The milestone comes shortly after Harshavardhan GB became the country’s 97th Grandmaster at the Chola Chess GM Norm Round Robin Tournament in Chennai.
With India’s pool of elite players continuing to grow, Aswath’s success further underlines the country’s emergence as one of the world’s strongest chess nations.
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