India, Nov. 9 -- India, on Sunday, became the fourth nation in the world to have 100 chess Grandmasters. The country reached the milestone after Anuj Shrivatri, from Katni in Madhya Pradesh, became its 100th GM on November 8, following his victory at the ASEAN Plus Open in the Philippines.

For the first 27 years of India's chess journey, the country had no Grandmasters. That changed in 1988, when Viswanathan Anand became India's first GM. For two years, he remained part of a club of one, before Dibyendu Barua became India's second Grandmaster in 1991. By the turn of the century, the tally had increased by just one more.

The numbers began to rise thereafter. India had 32 grandmasters by 2013 and reached the halfway mark of 50 just four y...