Anuj Shrivatri won the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in the Philippines on 8 November 2026. All India Chess Federation president Nitin Narang said the victory earned Shrivatri a direct Grandmaster title, making him India’s 100th player to reach that milestone.
How did he win?
The official final standings, uploaded by the Philippines Chess Federation, put Shrivatri first with seven points from nine rounds in Ozamiz City. Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Hoa finished second with 6.5 points.
Shrivatri lost his opening game, then collected seven of the eight points available in his remaining games. The tournament’s round-by-round record shows that he won both of his final games. That recovery secured a half-point lead in a contest that ran from 3 to 8 November.
Why did the victory bring a Grandmaster title?
The usual route to the title requires strong results across multiple tournaments and a FIDE rating of at least 2,500. A direct title is a different route: a qualifying result in a specified championship, followed by an application from the player’s federation and confirmation by FIDE’s Qualification Commission.
FIDE’s council approved direct titles for the 2026 ASEAN Championship. Narang said Shrivatri’s win secured the direct Grandmaster title. The result sheet still identifies Shrivatri as an International Master, the title displayed in the tournament record. The later title announcement and that result-sheet label should not be treated as the same administrative update.
Why does 100 matter?
FIDE’s chess museum identifies Viswanathan Anand as India’s first Grandmaster. Narang’s announcement marks Shrivatri as the country’s 100th, while ChessBase India reports he is Madhya Pradesh’s first. The tournament win is thus both a national milestone and a state first.
