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Time of India
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Chess: India gets 87th Grandmaster after Harikrishnan A Ra achieves his final GM norm in France
A detailed view of the board and pieces (Photo by) CHENNAI: Three months ago, A Ra Harikrishnan promised his coach Shyam Sundar that he would come back from the tournaments in Europe as a Grandmaster. The 23-year-old Chennai boy kept his word as he secured his third and final GM norm at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France on Friday. Harikrishnan is the 87th Indian GM, and 32nd from Tamil Nadu. The first breakthrough for Harikrishnan came in July 2023 at the Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland, where he earned his first norm. He added a second at the Lince Andujar Open in Spain in June. As a seven-year-old, Harikrishnan earned his FIDE rating, the youngest Indian to do so at that time. But it wasn't until 2018 that he earned the International Master title. Seven years later, he finally crossed the next big milestone. 'I took up chess when I was five, after I saw my brother Venkata Krishnan playing. He was a state-level player. After bagging the IM title, I was stuck there for a while. It was only in 2022 that I started playing seriously again and took part in back-to-back tournaments. It was also the year I started training with my coach Shyam sir , and we worked on a lot of stuff,' said Harikrishnan, whose mother, Renga Nachiar, is an international arbiter. One would think that with the GM title in hand, Harikrishnan would be on the next flight home, just as he had promised. But he isn't done yet. The hunger now is for rating points and eventually, a 2600 rating. 'I was a little more adamant this time that I really wanted to become a GM, but that wasn't the entire goal. I'm still aiming for more. I've already planned three more tournaments — in Morocco, Spain and Portugal — and I'd like to reach a rating of 2530 or 2540 before I return. Till I became a GM, it felt like a huge thing. But now that I've done it, it doesn't feel like a lot. Maybe the journey really is more beautiful than the destination,' he said. Harikrishnan (r) with his coach Shyam Sundar, who runs Chess Thulir academy in Chennai Even as the goalpost shifts, coach Shyam knows exactly what makes his student tick and what he needs to keep doing. 'We worked on calculations, dynamics and strategies. He also had a good understanding of the Reti opening, which was Vladimir Kramnik's favourite. So I made him go deeper into that and play more games using it. 'Now, I think openings will play a major role, because what helped him reach 2500 and become a GM might not be enough to go beyond. That's just the base. Now it's about working harder on openings and playing, beating more 2650-rated GMs,' said Shyam, who is currently serving as head of delegation for the Indian team at the Women's World Cup in Georgia. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
A Ra Harikrishnan, another GM from Chennai stable
Harikrishnan (r) with his coach Shyam Sundar, who runs Chess Thulir academy in Chennai CHENNAI: Three months ago, A Ra Harikrishnan promised his coach Shyam Sundar that he would come back from the tournaments in Europe as a Grandmaster. The 23-year-old Chennai boy kept his word as he secured his third and final GM norm at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France on Friday. Harikrishnan is the 87th Indian GM, and 32nd from Tamil Nadu. The first breakthrough for Harikrishnan came in July 2023 at the Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland, where he earned his first norm. He added a second at the Lince Andujar Open in Spain this June. As a seven-year-old, Harikrishnan earned his FIDE rating, the youngest Indian to do so at the time. But it wasn't until 2018 that he earned the International Master title. Seven years later, he has finally crossed the next big milestone. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai 'I started playing when I was five. My brother, Venkata Krishnan, was a state-level player and that's how I got into chess. After bagging the IM title, I was stuck there for a while. It was only in 2022 that I started playing seriously again and took part in back-to-back tournaments. It was also the year I started training with my coach Shyam sir, and we worked on a lot of stuff,' said Harikrishnan, whose mother, Renga Nachiar, is an international arbiter. One would think that with the GM title in hand, Harikrishnan would be on the next flight home, just as he had promised. But he isn't done yet. The hunger now is for rating points and eventually, a 2600 rating. 'I was a little more adamant this time that I really wanted to become a GM, but that wasn't the entire goal. I'm still aiming for more. I've already planned three more tournaments — in Morocco, Spain and Portugal — and I'd like to reach a rating of 2530 or 2540 before I return. Till I became a GM, it felt like a huge thing. But now that I've done it, it doesn't feel like that much. Maybe the journey really is more beautiful than the destination,' he said. Even as the goalpost shifts, coach Shyam knows exactly what makes his student tick and what he needs to keep doing. 'We worked on calculations, dynamics and strategies. He also had a good understanding of the Reti opening, which was Vladimir Kramnik's favourite. So I made him go deeper into that and play more games using it. 'Now, I think openings will play a major role, because what helped him reach 2500 and become a GM might not be enough to go beyond. That's just the base. Now it's about working harder on openings and playing, beating more 2650-rated GMs,' said Shyam, who is currently serving as head of delegation for the Indian team at the Women's World Cup in Georgia.
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First Post
12-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Who is Harikrishnan A Ra? India's 87th chess Grandmaster
Harikrishnan A Ra has become India's 87th Grandmaster. The 23-year-old secured his final GM norm at the LA Plagne International Chess Festival in France on July 11. read more 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 (Master of Commerce) degree from SRM University.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Harikrishnan becomes India's 87th Grandmaster
For seven years, Harikrishnan A. Ra. remained an International Master. In the meantime, he competed in many tournaments in his quest to become a Grandmaster but fell short after coming agonisingly close to becoming one. The 23-year-old, coached by Shyam Sundar, finally earned his third and final GM-norm in the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France on Friday, drawing with his countrymate P. Iniyan in the final round to finish fourth and become India's 87th GM. 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 Sportstar on Saturday. He 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. 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. Harikrishnan, who just completed his from SRM, is contemplating playing in quite a few tournaments in Spain and Portugal before returning to his hometown Chennai. 'I want to continue playing till I get the Elo rating of 2600. I also plan to do my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in USA,' he said.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Harikrishnan A Ra becomes India's 87th Grandmaster
For seven years, Harikrishnan A Ra remained an International Master. In the meantime, he competed in many tournaments in his quest to become a Grandmaster but fell short after coming agonisingly close to becoming one. The 23-year-old finally earned his third and final GM-norm in the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France on Friday (July 11, 2025). Harikrishnan drew with his countrymate P. Iniyan in the final round to finish fourth and become India's 87th GM. 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 (July 12, 2025). He 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. 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. Harikrishnan, who just completed his M. Com from SRM, is contemplating playing in quite a few tournaments in Spain and Portugal before returning to his hometown Chennai. 'I want to continue playing till I get the Elo rating of 2600. I also plan to do my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in USA,' he said.
