Who is teenager Ilamparthi AR, India’s 90th Grandmaster from Chennai?

Young chess prodigy Ilamparthi AR on Thursday etched his name in history by becoming India’s 90th Grandmaster. The 16-year-old from Chennai achieved his final GM norm at the GM4 Bijeljina 2025 Chess Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He joins a long list of chess stars from Tamil Nadu, including Viswanathan Anand, D Gukesh, and R Praggnanandhaa.

Ilamparthi earned his first GM norm at the Ha Noi tournament in Vietnam in December 2023, and his second at the Singapore International Open in 2024. He crossed the 2500 Elo rating mark during the Rilton Cup (2024-25), and finally sealed his title in Bosnia at the Bijeljina Open 2025.

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All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Nitin Narang congratulated Ilamparthi on X and wished him "continued success in making the nation proud." Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who has closely followed the youngster's progress through his academy, also lauded him for the feat.

Who is Ilamparthi AR?

Ilamparthi was born on March 28, 2009, and as mentioned above, he hails from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His full name is Ilamparthi Avalpoondurai Ravikumar. He is a student of Velammal School, the same institution that has produced world-class chess players like Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa.

He trains under Grandmaster Shyam Sundar M, who has helped several other players achieve the GM title, including Pranav V, Srihari LR, and Harikrishnan AR. Ilamparthi has also received international support in his journey, as in 2022, Dutch GM Anish Giri donated his Death Match prize money for his training, calling him a “special talent worth investing in.”

Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh and Rohith KS were the previous two Indian players to achieve the Grandmaster title before Ilamparthi.