Harshavardhan GM becomes India's 97th Grandmaster after securing third GM norm in dramatic fashion

India inched closer to completing a century of Grandmasters on Sunday with Harshavardhan GB becoming the latest chess player from the country to earn the title. Harshavardhan secured his final GM norm with an unbeaten run at the 2nd Chola Chess GM Norm Round Robin Tournament in Chennai that concluded on Sunday.

The 22-year-old, who hails from the chess hub that is Chennai and began playing the board game at the age of 4, finished the tournament with 6.5 points out of 9 after collecting four wins and five draws.

Harshavardhan had previously won his first GM norm by winning the Asian Juniors in 2022, and his second after winning the Asian Continental three years later, which allowed him to compete at the FIDE World Cup in Goa last year.

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On Sunday, Harshavardhan revealed it was a "huge relief" for him to finally become India's latest Grandmaster.

"It’s a huge relief and am so happy. “I got my IM title in Chennai in 2020 and my GM crown was in Chennai now. That’s a great coincidence," Harshavardhan told Sportstar.

"Krasenkow was unbeaten and the win was very important for me. My Elo rating is 2507 and I want to take it to 2600 by the end of the year," he added, reflecting on his crucial victory over Polish GM Michal Krasenkow in the seventh round.

How Harshavardhan seals final GM norm with a hat-trick of wins

Harshavardhan had collected 3 points in the first five rounds and needed 3.5 points from the last four rounds in order to achieve his third and final GM norm. He would go on to defeat IM Kushagra Mohan, GM Krasenkow and Belarusian GM Alexei Fedorov in the next three rounds, leaving him needing just a a draw in the ninth and final round.

He faced another Belarusian GM Mihail Nikitenko in the final round and held him to a stalemate with white pieces to celebrate the biggest moment of his chess career so far.

With his unbeaten run at the tournament, Harshavardhan's rating also went past the 2500-mark.