Aaryan Varshney: India’s 92nd Chess Grandmaster

Aaryan Varshney, a 21-year-old chess player from Delhi, has secured the Grandmaster (GM) title, becoming India’s 92nd Grandmaster. He achieved the feat after earning his third and final GM norm at the Andranik Margaryan Memorial Tournament in Armenia, clinching the title with a round to spare.

How Aaryan Varshney Secured GM Title

• Final GM norm:
  • Tournament: Andranik Margaryan Memorial Tournament, Armenia
  • Key result: Draw against FM Tyhran Ambartsumian in Round 8, which confirmed his third GM norm
• With this result, he completed:
  • Three GM norms, and
  • Minimum FIDE rating requirement of 2500

Background and Career Progression

• Home state: Delhi
• India’s 92nd GM and 8th Grandmaster from Delhi
  • Other Delhi GMs include:
    Parimarjan Negi, Abhijeet Gupta, Sriram Jha, Vaibhav Suri, Sahaj Grover, Aryan Chopra, and Prithu Gupta

Rapid Rise to Grandmaster

• Became an International Master (IM) in 2024
• Achieved all GM requirements within about 1.5 years
• Completed three GM norms and crossed 2500 FIDE rating within six months, a rare achievement

GM Norm Timeline

1. First GM norm
   • Tournament: 34th Vasilis Theodoridis Kavala Open 2025
   • Location: Kavala, Greece
   • Result: Finished second
   • Month: August 2025
2. Second GM norm
   • Tournament: 3rd Leonine GM Round-Robin
   • Month: November 2025
3. Third GM norm
   • Tournament: Andranik Margaryan Memorial Tournament
   • Location: Armenia
   • Month: Early 2026

• FIDE Rating: Crossed 2500 in November 2025

Unique Aspects of His Journey

• Achieved the GM title without a full-time chess coach
• Trained and supported primarily by his father, Gaurav Varshney, highlighting a strong father-son partnership
• Known for meticulous tournament planning, which helped his rating steadily rise since November 2023

Significance for Indian Chess

• India now has 92 Grandmasters, reflecting the country’s growing dominance in global chess
• India is on track to potentially reach 100 Grandmasters, possibly the highest ever in a single calendar year
• Aaryan’s success underlines the strength of India’s emerging chess talent pool

Chess Grandmaster (GM) Title

• Grandmaster (GM) is the highest title awarded by FIDE (apart from World Champion)
• Key points:
  • Awarded for life (revoked only in rare cases such as cheating)
  • Open to all players regardless of gender
  • Requirements:
    • Three GM norms in FIDE-approved tournaments
    • Minimum FIDE rating of 2500
• As of 2025:
  • Around 2000 Grandmasters worldwide
  • 44 women have earned the GM title