Latest news with #RohithKrishnaS
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Parents' sleepless nights, coding, and chess: How India got its 89th GM in Rohith Krishna S
India gets its 89th GM in Rohith Krishna S (Photo Credits: Dubai Chess & Culture Club) NEW DELHI: The time on the clock had slipped well past midnight. In a quiet Chennai apartment, a lone pool of light from a laptop screen cut through the darkness. A mother sat upright, eyes fixed on the glowing squares of an online chessboard, tracking her teenage son's tense battle thousands of kilometres away in another time zone. That son is Rohith Krishna S, the 19-year-old who, earlier this week, sealed his place in history as India's 89th Grandmaster, winning his final Grandmaster (GM) norm at the Almaty Region Open Qonaev Cup with an unbeaten 6/9 score on Tuesday. 'I had to sacrifice a lot… There were times when he was playing tournaments on the opposite side of the world… the time zones didn't match at all, so I spent many sleepless nights watching his games,' says Rohith's mother, Vidhya, who is a veterinarian by profession and mother of two. 'We also couldn't go on any vacations due to him constantly travelling abroad for tournaments.' Exclusive | How India's World Junior Chess Champion Pranav Earned Wildcard to Grand Swiss 2025 Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Rohith's reaction to the feat, however, remains modest. 'When I finished the last game and realised I had done it, I felt really happy,' Rohith tells from Abu Dhabi, where he is participating in the 31st Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. 'It had been a long journey, and I knew it was just a matter of time before I became a GM. But I never thought about it during my games; I just focused on playing well.' The call that had everyone waiting Neither of his parents was present at the venue when their son attained his final GM norm. 'Rohith called his mother,' his father, Sudhahar, recalls with a smile. 'So, she called me and informed me that Rohith had finally achieved the norm and completed the formalities.' The joy was mixed with relief. 'Yeah, I was very happy and relaxed,' says his mother. 'Relaxed means very peaceful… I felt very, very complete. I don't know how to express my feelings. I was very happy.' Mokshitha, sister, Vidhya, mother, Rohith, and his father Sudhahar, from left to right (Special Arrangements) Rohith had known this was coming. 'After my second norm in Dubai, I was confident. I didn't feel too much pressure for the last one. In the final round, I knew a draw was enough, but I played aggressively and won,' he says. A journey that began with a grandmother's game At the age of eight, the family enrolled Rohith in extracurricular activities at SIP Academy. Chess was one of the options. 'We said, you can choose any two so you can spend your time with your friend. So, he went to the drawing class, and he went to the chess class too. He preferred chess,' his father recalls. There was also a deeper family link: his maternal grandmother and his mother, who had once been a university champion. 'I first learnt chess from my grandmother and my cousin,' says Rohith, who is currently coached by one of Chennai's finest chess minds, FM Visweswaran Kameswaran. 'I used to play chess on the Windows 7 computer. At first, I just wanted to beat the computer; that was my initial motivation.' Holidays traded for tournaments While other families planned vacations, the Krishnas were booking tickets to far-off cities: Belgrade, Dubai, Tashkent, Almaty. 'He has to travel for a lot of tournaments. So, basically, we will not have family holidays most of the time. Leaving the boy alone and going for holidays doesn't help us. And when he is going for any tournament, we cannot plan it as a holiday too,' Sudhahar says. From 2019 onwards, international travel became constant. 'One of us had to travel with him, especially abroad. I had to take some holidays… We have to plan all his logistics, like travel, coach, accommodation, visa. All these things.' Since turning 18, though, Rohith has started travelling solo to tournaments across the world. His parents still handle the behind-the-scenes work, from booking stays and arranging transport to ensuring his safety. The cost of chasing a dream Initially, the family bore most of the expenses for domestic events, foreign trips, and even the coach's travel. 'One trip to Europe will definitely cost you more,' his father says. They reinvested every prize cheque back into tournaments. 'For example, in 2023, he won a few tournaments. The prize money also, we used for the entire year,' says Sudhahar, who is a consultant for a German footwear brand. Poll Should parents invest in their children's sports careers? Definitely Only if the child is interested Not necessarily No, it's not worth it The turning point came when he was selected for Tamil Nadu's MIMS (Mission International Medals Scheme), which provided financial assistance for international tournaments. 'It helped us a lot to relieve the burden. Otherwise, we wouldn't have played so many tournaments,' his father says. Managing studies and chess The family offered him the option to take a break after Class 12 to focus entirely on chess. 'But it was his choice,' Sudhahar continues. 'He actually felt the pressure after joining college… But he is managing it so well that he has now got all the GM norms.' Rohith, who is currently pursuing Computer Science at Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering in Tamil Nadu, admits that balancing engineering and chess hasn't been easy. 'Sometimes I have to miss college for tournaments, and sometimes I have to miss tournaments for exams. But I love both: chess and coding. They're both about problem-solving.' A proud present, a hopeful future Now that the GM title is his, the family is dreaming bigger. 'See, when, as a young boy, he had a dream to be a Super GM… He also wanted to go for higher studies. He believes he is also underrated… If everything goes well, he can achieve his dream,' says Sudhahar. Rohith is already looking ahead. 'My next goal is to reach a 2600 rating, and my long-term plan is to become world champion,' he says. ALSO READ: Watching Magnus Carlsen at 2: How 5-year-old Aarini Lahoty became India's No. 1 among youngest chess talents On paper, the title reads: Grandmaster Rohith Krishna S, India's 89th. But between the lines is another title — one shared by his parents, who have been champions in their own right, fighting every logistical, financial, and emotional battle so that their son could stand where he does today. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Rohith Krishna S becomes India's 89th Grandmaster
Rohith Krishna S on Tuesday became India's 89th Grandmaster after he made his final GM norm at the Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup in Kazakhstan where he scored 6/9 and also surpassed 2500 Elo ratings mark. To grab the honour, he defeated International Master Artur Davtyan in the final round. The youngster is coached by Last month, Divya Deshmukh had become India's 88th Grandmaster after she won the FIDE Women's World Cup by defeating the veteran Koneru Humpy in the final via the tiebreakers. Divya winning the Women's World Cup also makes her eligible to be India's fourth woman to become a grandmaster, which is significant because before the event started, she had none of the three norms required for it. But in one fell swoop, thanks to a regulation in the FIDE rules, Divya bypassed the criterion to earn three norms and became a grandmaster as well. Grandmaster is the highest title or ranking that a chess player can achieve. It is awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE, from its French acronym Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the global governing body headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. Among the hierarchy of chess titles that include International Master (IM), FIDE Master (FM), Candidate Master (CM), and their female-specific counterparts (WGM, WIM, WFM, WCM), the Grandmaster title stands as the most prestigious and challenging to obtain. Earning a GM norm in chess is a challenging process governed by strict FIDE regulations. Typically, a player must compete in a tournament of at least nine games, though exceptions exist for shorter events, such as seven-game norms in World or Continental Team Championships and eight-game norms in the World Cup or Women's World Championship. To achieve a GM norm, a player must perform at a high level, achieving a tournament performance rating (TPR) of at least 2600. The competition must also include a strong field where at least 33% of the opponents must hold the GM title, and players from at least three different federations must participate. Some tournaments are specifically organised to help players secure norms by ensuring these conditions are met. Ultimately, earning the full GM title requires three such norms across a minimum of 27 games, along with achieving a FIDE rating of 2500 at some point.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Chess: Rohith Krishna S becomes India's 89th Grandmaster; secures third and final GM norm at Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup
Rohith Krishna S has become India's 89th Grandmaster (Image via X/@ChessbaseIndia) Rohith Krishna S has become India's 89th Grandmaster (GM) after securing his third and final GM norm at the Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup in Kazakhstan on Tuesday. The 20-year-old sealed the feat with a victory over Armenian International Master Artur Davtyan in the final round, finishing the tournament with six points out of nine. His performance also saw him cross the 2500 Elo rating mark, completing the requirements for the Grandmaster title. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Rohith, who is coached by K. Visweswaran, began his journey towards the title earlier this year. He achieved his maiden GM norm by winning the Hotel Stockholm North GM Round-Robin tournament in March, followed by his second norm at the Dubai Open in June. He has been an International Master (IM) since 2022. Shortly priot to the 20-year-old's feat, Divya Deshmukh became the 88th Grandmaster last month with her landmark win at the FIDE World Cup. Last month, 19-year-old Divya scripted history by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, defeating India No. 1 and reigning World Rapid champion Koneru Humpy in the rapid tiebreaks of the final. Poll Who do you believe has had a greater impact on Indian chess? Rohith Krishna S Divya Deshmukh Neither, the focus should be on training Entering as the 15th seed, she produced a remarkable run, toppling several of the world's strongest players before clinching the title. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
