India’s 78th Grandmaster: Koustav Chatterjee, a 19-year-old chess player from Kolkata, was inducted as India’s 78th Grandmaster. He is the tenth general manager from West Bengal. Koustav earned his first GM norm in October 2021 at a Grandmasters’ chess tournament in Bangladesh. At the Asian championship in the first week of November 2022, he earned his second GM norm. He crossed FIDE rating 2500 in August. Koustav is in the joint-lead with GM Abhijeet Gupta at the National Senior Chess Championship with a score of 8/10 after 10 rounds.
January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
About GrandMaster (GM):
GrandMaster is the highest title given to chess players by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), above World Champion. India’s 1st Chess GrandMaster was won by Viswanathan Anand at the age of 14 in 1988.
How Do You Earn The Grandmaster Title?
The first GM titles were awarded to 27 players in 1950, and the qualifications to become a GM have changed throughout the years. FIDE currently awards the title of GM to a player who achieves a 2500 FIDE classical (or ‘standard’) rating and three GM norms.