Chennai engineering student is 89th from India to reach the mark

CHENNAI: A new grandmaster from Tamil Nadu has almost become a trend, but there’s something striking about S Rohith Krishna. The 20-year-old Chennai boy secured all three norms — the first in March, the second in May, and the final at the Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup in Kazakhstan on Tuesday — in a space of six months. Rohith is now India’s 89th Grandmaster and the 33rd from Tamil Nadu. His tryst with chess began at the age of eight, when his veterinarian mother offered him a choice between chess and drawing. He picked chess, and there has been no looking back. In his early years, Rohith defeated some of the top talents, including world champion D Gukesh. While his chess friends zoomed ahead, Rohith, who became an IM in 2022, slowed his rating climb to focus on academics.

He is currently in the third year of an engineering degree at SSN College of Engineering. Talking to TOI, Rohith’s coach K Visweswaran said: “Rohith defeated the likes of Gukesh and other top players when he was a kid, but he couldn’t rise further because he wanted to focus on his studies and balance both. He studied in a CBSE school and always scored 90-plus. He wants to be an allrounder; a good engineer and a good chess player.

“It may seem like he achieved his norms quickly, many years of effort went into it. There were many moments of internal panic. He always had the ability to make a comeback...Had he not focused so much on academics, this could have happened last year. He has been a Grandmaster in the making for years.” After a string of strong performances, Rohith’s immediate goal is to cross the 2600 barrier in FIDE rating. “Instead of chasing the final norm, I decided to focus on preparation and improving my game. I was sure I would become a Grandmaster; it was just a matter of time, so I wanted to strengthen my overall play. In Almaty Masters, I needed a win in the final round and I went in with an open mind, knowing anything could happen.

I feel relieved and happy after achieving this milestone,” Rohith told TOI from Abu Dhabi.