G.B. Harshavardhan became India’s 97th Grandmaster by remaining unbeaten in the second Chola Chess GM-norm round-robin tournament, here on Saturday. 

The 22-year-old from Chennai finished with four wins and five draws for 6.5 points from nine rounds. 

Speaking to The Hindu, Harshavardhan said: “It’s a huge relief and I am so happy. I got both my IM title in 2020 and my GM crown in Chennai. That’s a great coincidence.”

He added the win over Michal Krasenkow in the seventh round was crucial as the Polish GM was leading till then.

“Krasenkow was unbeaten and the win was very important for me. My Elo rating is 2507 and I want to take it to 2600 by the end of the year,” he said.

Harshavardhan earned his first GM norm by winning the Asian Juniors in 2022, and his second came at the Asian Continental in 2025, through which he qualified for the FIDE World Cup in Goa.