Vuppala Prraneeth, a 15-year-old chess player from Telangana, has won the Grandmaster title, becoming the 6th from the state and 82nd in India.
He achieved this feat by defeating GM Hans Niemann of America during the final round of Baku Open 2023.
The win also helped him surpass his Elo rating of 2500, specifically 2500.5.
Prraneeth received his first GM-norm and the title of International Master (IM) in March 2022.
He earned his second GM-norm in July 2022 at Biel MTO, followed by his final GM-norm in second chess.
India has produced a total of 81 grandmasters, making it the third-most in the world after Russia and China. The first Indian grandmaster was Viswanathan Anand, who won the title in 1988.
Anand is a five-time world champion and is considered one of the greatest chess players of all time.
The success of Indian grandmasters has helped to popularize the game of chess in India.
There are now millions of chess players in India, and the game is played at all levels of society.
The Indian government has also taken steps to promote chess, and there are now many chess academies and training centers in the country.
The future of chess in India looks bright. With a large pool of talented players and a growing interest in the game, India is well-positioned to produce even more grandmasters in the years to come.
