P Shayaamnikhil has achieved the prestigious title of Grandmaster, becoming India’s 85th to do so, by completing his third and final GM norm at the recently concluded Dubai Police Masters chess tournament. This milestone marks the end of a 12-year journey for the player, who began his chess career at the age of eight.
Shayaamnikhil, 31, needed just one win and eight draws to secure his long-awaited GM title in the tournament. He had met the requisite 2500 ELO rating points—the minimum requirement for a Grandmaster—back in 2012, and had already secured two Grandmaster norms by then. However, the third norm eluded him for more than a decade.
“I started playing at the age of eight, taught by my parents, but I couldn’t compete in tournaments for three years,” Shayaamnikhil recalled in a media interview. “Winning the under-13 State championship opened up opportunities for me to play in Asian and age-group world championships.”
Hailing from Nagarcoil in Tamil Nadu, Shayaamnikhil faced numerous challenges. “He moved to Chennai to pursue chess despite coming from a modest background and stayed with me,” said his former coach K Visweswaran.
Shayaamnikhil earned his first GM norm at the Mumbai Mayors Cup in 2011 and his second during the Indian Championship shortly after, achieving the rating requirement in early 2012. However, his final norm remained out of reach, with near-misses, including at the Dubai Open in 2012.
“It was only in 2017 that I began playing tournaments in Europe. Until then, I tried in Vietnam and the UAE, but these tournaments are very strong,” he explained. The 2022 Commonwealth champion came prepared for the Dubai Police Masters, though he narrowly missed a norm in France just before.
“I needed a win in the last round, but I drew and missed the norm again,” he shared, reflecting on the challenges. “I play chess for enjoyment. I admire Mikhail Tal and Garry Kasparov. I dedicate this achievement to my parents, who have waited a long time for this title, and to my trainer Visweswaran sir, who helped immensely,” Shayaamnikhil added.
“Now that the title is secured, I can play more freely,” he concluded.
