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Remarkable Feat! 19-Year-Old Koustav Chatterjee Becomes India's 78th Grandmaster, West Bengal's 10th
Writer: Ronit Kumar Singh
A confident and reliable journalist who always desires to toss the unheard voices. I cover politics and governance extensively through stories.
West Bengal, 3 Jan 2023 9:23 AM GMT
Editor : Shiva Chaudhary |
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Ronit Kumar Singh
A confident and reliable journalist who always desires to toss the unheard voices. I cover politics and governance extensively through stories.
A teenage boy from West Bengal has set the benchmark higher for all chess enthusiasts. Koustav Chatterjee has become the country’s 78th Grandmaster (GM) and West Bengal’s 10th, making the state’s GM count double-digit.
The new year has set a new milestone for Bengal chess after teenager Koustav Chatterjee became India's 78th Grandmaster (GM) and Bengal's 10th on the last day of 2022. At the National Senior Chess Championships, which took place in New Delhi on Saturday (December 31, 2022), the 19-year-old boy drew the game against GM Mitrabha Guha.
The chances of Mitrabha winning the game were more, but Koustav cruised through the game and mixed up the order in the endgame to manage a draw, securing his last and final norm to become a GM. Notably, GM Mitrabha was the state's last and ninth GM.
Things started changing for the youngster since the COVID-19 pandemic times. During the lockdown, he realised the need for a physically fit body and a sound mind. Since then, he has never looked back and started exercising regularly, shedding almost 50 kg from his weight.
Taking An Interest In Chess
Koustav developed his interest in chess during his school days and wished to represent India on a global stage. He started focusing more on his studies with a sharp mind and focused on pursuing Indian Administrative Services (IAS) as his career, along with chess. He scored nearly 95 per cent in his class 12 examination.
Once the lockdown across the country ended, he earned his first Grandmaster norm in October 2021 at the Sheikh Russel GM's meet in Bangladesh. He earned his second GM norm in the first week of November 2022. Koustav's wait to earn the final norm is now over after crossing the required Fide magic rating, reported The Indian Express.
He highlighted that he wished to become a GM a little earlier by participating in an overseas tournament. He also recalled his earlier days when his father introduced him to the game of chess, and he gradually developed an interest in the same.
No Coach For Training
Koustav started playing chess in 2010 and earned the International Master (IM) title in 2019, but his father couldn't see him becoming a Grandmaster as he passed last year. Not having any coach for training, the dynamic chess player is being supported by the Dhanuka Dhunseri Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy.
Setting an example for all the young chess players, he has managed both his studies and the game equally. Taking a big leap this year, he is set to attend the University of Texas on scholarship support. He mentioned that he wished to play the game for the university and also manage his studies.
The teen's latest feat has added his name to the list of Grandmasters who made the state of Bengal proud- GM Dibyendu Barua, GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, GM Sandipan Chanda, and GM Mitrabha Guha, among others.
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