Kolkata's Mitrabha Guha Becomes India's 72nd Grand Master

Kolkata-based player Mitrabha Guha has become India’s 72nd chess Grand Master by bagging his third and final GM norm during a tournament in Serbia.

The 20-year old Guha achieved the GM title after securing the final norm at the ongoing GM Third Saturday Mix 220 tourney in Novi Sad, Serbia.

The Indian, who beat GM Nikola Sedlak of Serbia in the ninth round on Monday, has so far scored seven points with six wins, two draws and a loss to Russian GM Vladimir Zakhartsov in the seventh round.

The Kolkata player had scored his second GM norm at the Sheikh Russel GM tournament in Bangladesh a fortnight ago and had also crossed the 2500 Elo barrier in the second round of the tournament.

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

The All India Chess Federation congratulated Guha on becoming a GM.

“Kolkata-based International Master Mitrabha Guha becomes the 72nd Grandmaster of the country after completing the requirement by securing his third and final GM norm at GM Third Saturday Mix 220 Novi Sad, Serbia,” the AICF said on its website.

Former world champion and chess legend Viswanathan Anand also congratulated Guha.

“Congrats to Mitrabha! Two GMs in two days 100 th Gm soon!,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

Guha achieved the GM title just two days after Sankalp Gupta did so during an event in Arandjelovac, Serbia to become the country’s 71st GM.