KANNIYAKUMARI: Congratulatory messages are pouring in for S Aswath who recently became India’s 98th Chess Grandmaster (GM).
Lauding him, Kanniyakumari District Chess Association Secretary G Winston said Aswath can become a Super Grandmaster in the future.
The association is set to felicitate him on September 13. Aswath is the first player from the association to attain the coveted GM status.
Aswath, who belongs to a Nagercoil-based middle-class family, started observing the game of chess from the age of three as his parents AC Siva and SL Sheela are chess coaches. In a year, he became the district champion and went on to become the state chess champion in the under-seven category by the age of six.
After securing the under-15 national championship in 2022, Aswath started playing with international players.
He was trained by International Master K Senthil Maran earlier. At 17, he became a GM after playing with former GMs.
Aswath is now under the tutelage of India’s national chess coach M Sam Sundar. He is currently in the 11th standard at the Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chennai. His elder sister Bharkavi, who was a national chess gold medallist in the School Games Federation of India Championship, said Aswath scored 471 out of 500 marks in the SSLC examination.
Spending time with his family at his rented house at Chidambara Nagar at Kottar in Nagercoil, Aswath told TNIE that he spends 8 hours daily for chess training and preparation. His hobbies are cricket and badminton. Though he is studying in Chennai, he also visited his hometown Nagercoil frequently.
Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, Group e4 and his school are helping him, he added. His father Siva said his son fulfilled his own dreams of becoming a GM.