Aaryan Varshney Becomes India 92nd Chess Grandmaster Through Home-Grown Training

Aaryan Varshney Becomes India’s 92nd Chess Grandmaster, Redefining the Path to Elite Success

India’s growing dominance in world chess received another boost as Aaryan Varshney , aged 21, secured the Grandmaster (GM) title , becoming the country’s 92nd GM . He achieved the milestone by clinching his final GM norm at the Andranik Margaryan Memorial Tournament in Armenia, sealing the title with a round to spare.

Beyond the achievement itself, Aaryan’s journey has drawn attention for its unconventional nature—built on discipline, self-study, and an exceptional father-son partnership rather than elite academies or professional coaching setups.

A Home-Grown Chess Journey

Unlike most modern chess prodigies, Aaryan was trained entirely at home by his father, Gaurav Varshney, a physics teacher based in Delhi. He never worked with a professional chess coach. After his mother left the family when he was five, his father became his sole guardian, mentor, and trainer, while also supporting elderly parents.

Serious chess training began when Aaryan was seven. For nearly two years, his father fulfilled multiple roles—coach, analyst, and motivator—focusing primarily on game analysis and practical experience instead of structured theoretical instruction.

Rapid Rise Through Discipline and Self-Study

Aaryan played his first rated tournament in December 2014 with an Elo rating of 1261 . In a span of just four years, he crossed the 2300 rating mark , a steep rise reflecting consistent discipline and analytical growth.

His breakthrough came in July 2018 , when he won the National Under-13 Championship in Ahmedabad , announcing his arrival on the national chess stage. Notably, Aaryan never relied on traditional chess books, instead using ChessBase software and detailed post-game analysis as his primary learning tools.

He earned the International Master (IM) title in 2024 , achieved entirely through open tournaments, without long-term training exposure in Europe.

Overcoming Financial Constraints

Financial limitations significantly shaped Aaryan’s journey. With his father as the sole earning member, prolonged overseas training camps were not feasible. Despite these constraints, Aaryan secured all his IM and GM norms through competitive open tournaments in Asia and Europe once international travel resumed after the pandemic.

His transition from IM to GM was remarkably swift—earning three GM norms within six months across tournaments in Greece, Bangladesh, and Armenia.

Ambitions Beyond the Title

With the GM title secured, Aaryan has set his sights on the highest levels of the sport. He aspires to become world chess champion and hopes to register a victory against reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju , against whom he has already competed in closely fought games.

Aaryan Varshney’s rise highlights how resilience, focused mentorship, and disciplined self-learning can still carve a path to excellence in elite global sport.

Exam-Focused Points

• Aaryan Varshney became India’s 92nd chess Grandmaster .

• GM title requires three GM norms and a minimum 2500 Elo rating .