&w=3840&q=100)
Who is Harikrishnan A Ra? India's 87th chess Grandmaster
The craze of Chess in India once again makes global headlines as the country gets its fresh Grandmaster, 87th to be precise, in the form of Harikrishnan A Ra. The 23-year-old secured his final Grandmaster norm at the LA Plagne International Chess Festival in France on July 11, 2025. Hailing from Chennai, Harikrishnan became an International Master seven years ago but faced a long struggle to attain the Grandmaster title.
Speaking from La Plagne (France), Harikrishnan expressed a sigh of relief. 'Feel very happy. It's been seven years. I agree there was a huge delay to become a GM. From 2022, I have been competing regularly in tournaments, but couldn't get the GM norms. It was really a struggle,' Harikrishnan told The Hindu on Saturday.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Also Read | 'Just relaxed': Vantika Agrawal scripts stunning win over former world champion to reach Chess World Cup Round 3
Reaped success after a long wait
Harikrishnan reaped success after long perseverance. As an International Master, he competed in many tournaments but the GM tag eluded him despite coming agonisingly close at times. But the day Harikrishna was waiting for finally arrived when he drew with his countrymate P. Iniyan in the final round of LA Plagne International Chess Festival to finish fourth and become India's 87th GM.
According to Harikrishnan, he knew that he needed 1.5 points in the last two rounds to become a GM. 'There was pressure and I am glad I did it,' he said. He defeated Jules Moussard of France in the eighth round and drew with Iniyan in the ninth and last round to complete his third GM norm.
Notably, Harikrishnan got his first GM-norm in the Biel International Chess Festival in 2023 in Switzerland and his second norm in the Lince Andujar Chess Open in June this year in Spain.
Also Read | Magnus Carlsen has a message for Ronaldo ahead of Esports World Cup: 'Don't know what Ronaldo has done on chessboard'
Future Plans
Having attained the highest tag in the sport of Chess, Harikrishnan aims to continue playing the sport. He aims to reach an Elo rating of 2600 and plans for higher studies as well. Harikrishnan desires to pursue an MBA in the USA and holds an M.Com (Master of Commerce) degree from SRM University.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Shreyas, Jitesh likely to be back for Asia Cup
Shreyas Iyer and Jitesh Sharma are likely to earn a recall to India's T20I set-up when the senior national men's selection panel meets on Tuesday to finalise the squad for the Asia Cup to be held in the UAE from September 9. Neither Shreyas nor Jitesh has featured in T20Is since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach in July 2024. Shreyas last played a T20I in December 2023, while Jitesh – the wicketkeeper-batter – made his final appearance in January 2024. Tough decision The Hindu understands the selectors and team management are aligned on including an experienced middle-order batter suited to the slower, lower conditions expected in the UAE. If Shreyas is picked, it could mean a tough call on either Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh, both of whom were part of India's squad for its last T20I assignment against England in January-February. Jitesh, who played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden IPL title, is expected to replace Dhruv Jurel, who was the reserve stumper to Sanju Samson during the England series. The selectors must also decide whether to include Jasprit Bumrah in the T20I squad. With Mohammed Shami unavailable, a pacer's slot is open. The debate could be whether to bring back Bumrah or give Prasidh Krishna a chance after a strong IPL campaign. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has recovered from sports hernia, will attend the selection meeting. His input will be vital as the selectors plan for the T20 World Cup to be held in India next year. There has been speculation about the return of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal to the T20I squad. However, the management appears inclined to stick with the core group that has excelled under Gambhir, winning 13 of 15 T20Is since his appointment. Additionally, with minimal turnaround time between formats — the Asia Cup final is on September 28 and the first Test against the West Indies begins on October 2 in Ahmedabad — the selectors are likely to keep Gill and Jaiswal fresh for the red-ball assignments.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
BCCI introduces ‘serious injury substitution rule' in multi-day tournaments
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to introduce 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule in the multi-day tournaments in the forthcoming domestic season, starting with the Duleep Trophy. The rule has been informed to all the domestic outfits and the participating teams in the Duleep Trophy. The replacement player, barring an exceptional case of a wicketkeeper, has to be from the nominated substitutes at the start of the game. 'Under all circumstances, the serious injury replacement player shall be from nominated substitutes at the time of toss,' states clause 1.2.8 of the playing conditions document, accessed by The Hindu. 'Only in the case where the wicketkeeper is seriously injured and needs a replacement then the match referee may allow a wicketkeeper from a player outside the nominated substitutes if there is no wicketkeeper in the nominated substitutes.' The rule amendment may be a step from the BCCI side to push for a similar rule amendment in international cricket. During the recently-concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, both India and England were forced to play a major chunk of a Test with a seriously injured player. While Rishabh Pant batted with a broken foot at Old Trafford, Chris Woakes walked out to bat at The Oval with a dislocated shoulder that was heavily bandaged. Since then, the serious injury replacement issue has been widely discussed. While the BCCI has been keen on the introduction of such a clause, the International Cricket Council is a divided house, with multiple cricketers being averse to the idea due to possible misuse of the rule.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Rajeev Ram reflects on his unique journey, tennis success, thoughts on doubles and mentoring young talent.
For Indian tennis fans, Rajeev Ram at once seems a close cousin and a distant relative. The 41-year-old's parents were from India and his biggest doubles successes — Australian Open 2020 and a hat-trick of US Opens from 2021 to 2023 — have resonated in the sub-continent. But he is also proudly American, and is mentoring the next generation there. He sat courtside as fellow Indian-American Nishesh Basavareddy, then 19, took on Novak Djokovic in the first-round of the 2025 Australian Open. Incidentally, Rajeev and Venus Williams beat Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza in a close semifinal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and Rajeev [with Joe Salisbury] also overcame Bopanna [and Matthew Ebden] in the 2023 US Open final. The six-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic medallist spoke to The Hindu on his tennis journey, the state of doubles, the mixed doubles rejig at the upcoming US Open and more. Excerpts: ALSO READ | Open and shut case: Jaiswal and Rahul making headway as a partnership at the top How do you assess your year so far? In professional sport, it's a lot of up and down. My results this year haven't been what I've gotten used to over the last few years. But I'm 41 and have been very fortunate to have played at a pretty high level for the better part of 20 years. So, I'm taking it in my stride. The US Open is my favourite tournament, so I am really looking forward [to it]. What has kept you going for so long? I played singles as a priority until 2017. We, as tennis players, begin with aspirations to play at the top level in singles. I'm very proud of the fact that I became a top-60 player and won two titles on the Tour. My doubles-only career started in 2017, and even though it was much after I turned pro, it still was fresh when Joe and I won the Australian Open in 2020. It's a lot about attitude. The thing that's always been important is consistently trying to improve. If you have that attitude, you can sometimes take even losses as a positive. As heartbreaking as some of them are, sometimes they're the biggest motivators. I used them as fire and fuel. I've actually had to be more aware of myself when I've been winning a lot because you get a little bit satisfied. How has the doubles game evolved? It's changed a lot. When I started, players, especially those who transitioned from singles, would try to develop their net game a bit more. In the last three or four years, I've seen a big shift where that's really not the case. Most teams now have at least one player who serves and stays back all the time. There's more comfort from the baseline. A lot of the players don't really worry about serving and volleying anymore. From the returner's perspective, it's a lot more about pace, being aggressive and trying to get a hold on the point straight away. Whereas, when I started playing, there was a little bit more feel, more finesse. Doubles is very entertaining and popular as a recreational sport. But it doesn't get good broadcast slots or matches on the show courts, especially in the first week of a Major. Are these hindering the growth? Absolutely. Anything that is put on the back-burner in terms of promotion and marketing is going to be treated that way by people who watch it. I'm not saying by any stretch that it needs to be at the same level as singles. But there are definitely stories that could be marketed a lot more. Like Rohan having so much success at such a late age [World No. 1 and 2024 Australian Open title]. Croatia's Mate Pavic won the French Open last year and completed the career Golden Slam [along with Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold]. But I don't think it got the push that a truly rare achievement in our sport should have got. Next is to highlight the partnerships. There could be quite a bit more of that, just to get to know the players at the personal level. ALSO READ | Sai Sudharsan: 'It was clear that we were in England to create history' In such a scenario, how does the move by the US Open to completely transform its mixed doubles feel? It is being played in the week before the Slam and has more singles players than doubles. It's two parts for me. I applaud their idea to innovate. As much as doubles was on the back-burner, mixed doubles was behind even more. So putting it in its own week, with fanfare, is great. Tennis could use mixed doubles as the flag-bearer, as men and women play men and women for Olympic medals and Grand Slam titles. But they [US Open] made it such that doubles players couldn't even enter. You can't unless you have a singles ranking. That's where I feel opposed. They should [have] just let everybody enter. A lot of the players that got in from singles would have still gotten in. It would have been a bit more legitimate to give a Grand Slam trophy for. If you were in a position of power, what would you do to increase traction for doubles? I mentioned Rohan winning so late. Joe and I won three US Opens on the trot. So the stories are there. They just need to be told. Secondly, social media is such a big part of our world. We have exciting points happening every day. They don't need to be necessarily in the main stadiums or even on TV. If we could do a better job of showcasing them, people would be drawn to the game. Most of those who are watching are doubles players themselves and they can have a little bit of a relationship there. The third thing is to just tell the story of the partnerships. Joe and I played together for six years. We can do a little bit more of getting outside tennis and highlighting the personalities. ALSO READ | Injuries are a part of cricket; injury substitutes are unnecessary You have been mentoring Nishesh, among the brightest talents to emerge from the United States. What do you think India can do to develop such a player? I wish there was some magic recipe. Nishesh and I… our relationship is unique. Of all the places in the US, he moved to the little town that I'm from [Carmel, Indiana]. We have the same coach, Bryan Smith, and I have to give him a lot of credit. He not only teaches us to be good tennis players but also teaches us to give back to the next group. It was always something I was going to do for him [Nishesh] and a few others. Also, coming from the exact same background as I have, an America-born kid with Indian heritage… a lot of pieces came together. What India can do… I think it is very important for a player to feel that he or she is not alone and not feel like they have to reach a certain level for it to be successful. Just the effort of trying to be the best you can be is success in itself. I was really lucky that my dad had the foresight to realise that in the US, sports can actually open doors. I would have never gone to the colleges that I went to if I wasn't a tennis player. So, maybe, just a slight shift in mentality for what it really means to be a high-level athlete and what success really is [can help India].
