New India Grandmaster

TEENAGE chess prodigy V Pranav (right) last Sunday (7) became India’s 75th Grandmaster (GM) after a Romania tournament victory.

The Chennai-based Pranav won the Limpedea Open in Baia Mare, Romania, to secure his third and final GM norm and attain the Grandmaster title.

He finished the tournament with seven points from nine rounds to wrap up the GM norm requirements.

“It is a great feeling. It will boost my confidence to improve further and reach the top level,” he told reporters from Baia Mare.

The 15-year-old had obtained his maiden GM norm at the Serbia Open in 2021 and the second in the Vezerkepzo GM round-robin tourney in Budapest, Hungary, in June.

Pranav is the 27th Grandmaster from the state of Tamil Nadu. The list includes the legendary Viswanathan Anand as well as teen sensations D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa among others.

“He likes to play fast and over the years, he has matured and developed patience while maintaining his sharp skillset,” his coach K Visweswaran said.