Bharath Subramaniyam, at 14 years of age, becomes India's 73rd chess Grandmaster

File image of Bharath Subramaniyam. (Source: Twitter)

Chennai: Fourteen-year old Bharath Subramaniyam on Sunday became India's 73rd chess Grandmaster, securing the third and final GM norm at an event in Italy.

The Chennai-based player scored 6.5 points from nine rounds along with four others to finish seventh overall in the event held at Cattolica.

Breaking news!
India gets its 73rd GM - Bharath Subramaniyam.
Bharath has achieved his GM title at the tender 14 years 2 months 23 days. To think of it, the speed at which the boy achieved this feat in spite of the pandemic is an indication of what is going to come in future! pic.twitter.com/jv7i8qcHSA

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) January 9, 2022

He obtained his third GM norm here and also touched the requisite 2,500 (Elo) mark.

Fellow Indian player M R Lalith Babu emerged winner in the tournament with seven points, winning the title on the basis of a better tie-break score after he tied with three others including top-seed Anton Korobov (Ukraine).

Bharath finished with six wins and one draw while losing two games - against Korobov and Lalith Babu.

Bharath achieved his first GM norm after securing 11th place at the Aeroflot Open in Moscow in February 2020. He secured the second norm after placing 4th in the Junior

Roundtable Under 21 tournament in Bulgaria with 6.5 points in October 2021.

To become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points.

His coach M Shyam Sundar, a GM himself, congratulated Subramaniyam and tweeted: "Congratulations Bharath for becoming the latest GM of India!! Let's focus on new goals in this new year!!"

Congratulations Bharath for becoming the latest GM of India!! Let's focus on new goals in this new year!!

— Shyam Sundar (@Shyam_chess) January 9, 2022

Subramaniyam had become an International Master at the age of 11 years and 8 months in 2019.

Mitrabha Guha had become the country's 72nd GM in November last, two days after Sankalp Gupta became the 71st GM.