NEW DELHI: Do you remember the feeling of sitting your Class 10 board exam? Few have not felt butterflies in their stomachs at first. For India’s 98th Grandmaster (GM) Aswath S, the board exam means putting the chessboard, his lifelong companion, for four months, from the beginning of the year to April, for what many call the first “big challenge” of academic life. With two GM rules already in his pocket, all the teenager from Chennai needs is one more GM rule to become a Grandmaster. That moment came Wednesday, in his first classical tournament of the year.Aswath scored his third and final GM norm in the Pune International GM Round Robin 2026. FM Kannan Vaidyanathan picked up the black pieces in the final round, he finished the tournament with 7/9 points, secured the final GM norm and secured the coveted title in the process.“It is amazing to feel that I am a Grandmaster now,” Aswath told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interaction from Pune. “It’s been gone for almost the last two years. I crossed 2500 in December, so after that, I had to score only by the rules, but it took me a long time.”Aswath secured his first berth by winning the mighty Grenke Open A ahead of many seasoned Grandmasters.His second came at the First Saturday GM Round Robin in Budapest in December 2025, where he also scored 7/9 and crossed the 2500 FIDE rating mark.
From a family of chess coaches
Aswath’s roots in chess run to Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, where his father, AC Siva, runs a chess academy as a full-time professional coach.“I started playing chess when I was three years old, and my coach was my father,” Aswath recalled. “At that age, I was walking around the academy saying the names of the chess pieces. Then I started playing and entered a tournament at the age of four.”
Aswath S with his family (Special Arrangements)
The defining moment came early. “At the age of seven, when I played in the Under-7 Tamil Nadu State Championship, I won the tournament with a score of 9 out of 9. That was one of the biggest motivations for me to take up chess as a profession,” he said.With his mother, Sheela, teaching beginners at the academy and his older sister once competing in the sport, chess has become a part of the family fabric.
The path to becoming a Grandmaster
Despite his early promise, the road to the GM title was filled with many obstacles. Aswath sees playing locally as a double-edged sword.“Basically, exposure to the tournament was a challenge as we usually don’t get to play such big events in India in the early days,” explained Aswath. “And, in India, the low raters are very low because they are very strong, stronger than their ratings. If we go abroad, we can change the rating points, but of course, money comes as a big thing. We need sponsors.”Aswath’s progress took a turn when he started working with IM Senthil Maran after the pandemic, and then with his current coach, GM Shyam Sundar, in late 2023.“He is a very hardworking kid, a responsible partner, passionate, determined, and never gets distracted by social media,” Sundar told this website.“Chess-wise, he obeys whatever I say. There are many things he wants to do, like working some openings deep. But when I say it’s not necessary for his level, he asks for reason and accepts it. Listening to the point is very important.”With the teenager’s GM title marking a milestone for the coach as Aswath became the sixth of his students to achieve the feat, Shyam revealed the mantra.“I created a culture where guys at the same level actually shared materials. Aswath is in it,” he added. “It’s a healthy bond. He also focused a lot on his fitness. He does gym activities at home and is open to playing any sport.
More than 64 squares
Despite his great success, Aswath remained reticent, due to his academic commitments. A student of Velammal School in Chennai, he is currently pursuing commerce in his 11th grade.“This is my first classical tournament this year as I have to study for my 10th board exams,” he said. “For four months, from January to April, I did not see chess.”
Aswath S in Pune International GM Round Robin 2026 (Special Arrangements)
Now that the boards have been cleaned and the GM title secured, Aswath’s eyes are firmly set on the future. India’s 98th Grandmaster knows the coveted title is nothing more than a checkpoint.“GM is just a start of the real chess world, actually, to be frank,” concluded Aswath. “There is still a lot to go, like 2600, 2700, the highest ranking in the world. My short-term goal is 2600.”