New Delhi, Nov. 12 -- Thirty eight year after Vishwanathan Anand became India's first-ever chess Grandmaster, Anuj Shrivatri of Madhya Pradesh hit a century in the sport. The 22-year-old Shrivatri became India's 100th GM after winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Philippines. A five-time world champion, Anand got the nation it's first GM back in 1988.

In a country, known for its craze in cricket, reaching the 100 GMs milestone is a indeed a rising graph for chess in India, with the younger bunch consisting D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa among the notable names dominating at the world stage.

Such has been the domination recently, India got its last five GMs between July and November in 2026 alon...