Tamil Nadu continues to be the cradle of Indian chess as 16-year-old Ilamparthi AR from Chennai became India’s 90th Grandmaster on Thursday, after securing his final GM norm at the Bijeljina Open in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Born in 2009, Ilamparthi had earlier achieved his first GM norm at the Ha Noi tournament in Vietnam (December 2023), followed by his second at the Singapore International Open (2024). He crossed the 2500 Elo mark during the Rilton Cup (2024–25), and the final norm in Bosnia sealed his grandmaster title.The youngster, who trains under Shyam Sundar M, is supported by several initiatives.A student of Velammal School, the same institution that nurtured stars like D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa, Ilamparthi has long been seen as one of India’s brightest young minds in chess. His early promise was noticed by the global community, with Dutch GM Anish Giri famously donating his Death Match prize money in 2022 to support Ilamparthi’s training.Congratulating the youngster, AICF president Nitin Narang posted on X: “Grandmaster No. 90 for Bharat! Congratulations to Ilamparthi AR on fulfilling all the requirements to become the 90th Grandmaster of the country. Wishing you many more laurels and continued success in making the nation proud.”Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, under whose academy Ilamparthi trains, wrote: “Happy to announce Ilamparthi as a GM! He missed the title on a few occasions but came back stronger each time. He has a lot of potential, and we hope to work together towards greater achievements.”