Anuj Shrivatri is an Indian chess player from Katni in Madhya Pradesh. On 8 November 2026, he became India's 100th chess Grandmaster — and the first Grandmaster ever from Madhya Pradesh — by winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open Chess Championship in Ozamiz City, Philippines.

He lost his first game of the tournament, then scored seven points from his next eight games to finish with 7 points from 9 rounds. His performance rating in the event was 2586. The win gave him the Grandmaster title directly, under a special FIDE-approved format for the event. The usual route to the title needs three Grandmaster norms and a rating of 2500. His peak rating was 2483, reached in June 2026, so he had not crossed 2500. He was already an International Master before the event.

Anuj learned chess at the age of seven. He later worked as a software engineer for a German firm, then left the job to play chess full time. The gamble paid off in the Philippines.

His title matters beyond one player. India's first Grandmaster was Viswanathan Anand, in 1988, and it took 38 years to reach 100. India is only the fourth country to reach the mark. The All India Chess Federation's president, Nitin Narang, called it a historic milestone and said the next target was 200 Grandmasters. At the time of the win, formal confirmation of the title by FIDE was still awaited.

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