Rohith Krishna
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Rohith Krishna S. has always been bright in academics, but that pursuit he felt slowed down the pace of him becoming a chess Grandmaster. However, on Tuesday, he was on top of the world when he became the 89th Indian GM. He did that with a victory over IM Artur Davtyan of Romania in the final round of the Almaty Masters Qonaev Cup in Kazakhstan to secure six points out of nine.
The 19-year-old, a third-year engineering student in Chennai, knows that his journey has just begun.
Speaking to The Hindu from Dubai, where he will be taking part in the Abu Dhabi International tournament beginning August 15, Rohith said: “Finally, achieving the dream of becoming a Grandmaster — one I have pursued since 2013 — has brought me immense relief and joy.
“I will always remember my friends, family, and mentors who stood by me in difficult times, encouraging me never to give up. This is not the end — it is just the beginning of a longer journey ahead.”
Rohith acknowledged the support of his school and college (Sunshine, Velachery, and SSN) — that made the path to become a GM relatively smooth.
“At times, I felt the pressure of not achieving the Grandmaster title as quickly as I expected, as balancing academics and chess was never easy. However, the support of The Sunshine School and SSN College kept me motivated to excel in both fields,” he said while thanking the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu for its financial assistance..
K. Visweswaran, head coach of Kameswaran Chess Academy, Chennai, and one who has been training Rohith since 2019, said his ward wanted to achieve excellence in academics and chess, and it was a conscious decision. “He invested two years for school (Std. XI and XII) and one year in College (SSN) to get accustomed to the environment. Rohith looks at life holistically,” said the coach.
According to Visweswaran, “Rohith is a diligent and a patient player. He is tactically sharp and quick to capitalise on the opponent’s mistakes. Now with the GM pressure off his back, he can go for tournament wins.”
Published – August 13, 2025 05:51 pm IST
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