Chennai teen Bharath Subramaniyam India’s 73rd chess Grandmaster
Chennai, January 9
Fourteen-year old Bharath Subramaniyam has become India’s 73rd chess Grandmaster, securing the third and final GM norm today at a tournament in Italy.
The Chennai-based player scored 6.5 points from nine rounds along with four others to finish seventh overall in the event held at Cattolica. He obtained his third GM norm here and also touched the requisite 2,500 ELO mark.
Fellow Indian player MR Lalith Babu emerged winner in the tournament with seven points, winning the title on the basis of a better tie-break score after he tied with three others, including top seed Anton Korobov of Ukraine.
Subramaniyam finished with six wins and one draw while losing two games, against Korobov and Lalith Babu.
To become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 ELO points.
Subramaniyam achieved his first GM norm after securing 11th place at the Aeroflot Open in Moscow in February 2020. He secured the second norm after placing fourth in the Junior Roundtable Under 21 tournament in Bulgaria with 6.5 points in October 2021.
Subramaniyam’s coach M Shyam Sundar, himself a Grandmaster, tweeted: “Congratulations Bharath for becoming the latest GM of India!! Let’s focus on new goals in this new year!!”
Subramaniyam had become an International Master at the age of 11 years and 8 months in 2019.
Mitrabha Guha had become the country’s 72nd GM last November, two days after Sankalp Gupta became the 71st GM. — PTI
