Aarav Dengla becomes India’s 93rd Grandmaster and Mumbai's third
Aarav Dengla from Mumbai has become India’s 93rd Grandmaster and the third Grandmaster from the city. He completed all the requirements for the GM title in January 2026 at the GM i IM Round Robin "Festival Saha Bijeljina 2026. He delivered a splendid performance to finish first with 7/9 points. He crossed 2500 on the FIDE Rating list in February. He scored his first GM norm at Medjunarodni velemajstorski turnir in 2022, followed by his second GM norm at the Zupanja Celebrates Chess - 70 Years of Pride and Tradition in 2025. His third GM norm came at the GM Mix Bijeljina 2026. Read the article to know more about Aarav's path to becoming a Grandmaster.
Mumbai gets its third Grandmaster
16-year-old Aarav Dengla has joined the list of Indian Grandmasters. In February 2026, Aarav crossed the 2500 Elo rating mark and completed his fourth Grandmaster norm, fulfilling all the requirements for the GM title. With this achievement, he became the 93rd Grandmaster of India and Mumbai’s third.
Aarav began playing chess at the age of five. According to his father, chess was initially just one of many sports Aarav played growing up. Cricket, swimming, and taekwondo were among his other favourites. In 2017, at just seven years old and with only four months of serious play, he gained nearly 800 rating points.
What drew Aarav deeper into chess was the equality the sport offered. When he began playing FIDE-rated open tournaments, he realized that chess allowed him to compete against anyone, regardless of age. The analytical and quantitative nature of chess further reinforced his interest.
First GM Norm: Medjunarodni velemajstorski turnier tournament in 2022
Aarav scored first GM norm at the Medjunarodni velemajstorski turnier tournament. He scored 7/9, performed at a rating of 2603 and gained 56 Elo from the tournament. He remained undefeated and scored crucial victories against GM Milan Vukic, GM Borko Lajthajm and GM Zvonko Stanojoski.
Second GM Norm: Zupanja Celebrates Chess - 70 Years of Pride and Tradition- GM Tournament 1 in 2025
Aarav started as the third seed in the tournament and went on to finish in clear first with 7 points. He performed at a rating of 2615, remained undefeated, scored victories against GM Savic Miodrag R and GM Kovchan Alexander and gained 57 Elo points from the tournament.
Third GM Norm: GM Mix Bijeljina 2026
Aarav won the GM Mix Bijeljina 2026 with a score of 7/9. He performed at a rating of 2630 and remained undefeated throughout the tournament. He scored victories against strong players like GM Alija Muratovic, GM Miloje Ratkovic and IM Milos Milosevic and drew with IM Milovan Ratkovic, GM Radoslav Dimitrov and GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy.
Fourth GM Norm: GM i IM Round Robin "Festival Saha Bijeljina 2026"
In this tournament, Aarav delivered a commanding performance to finish first. He scored 7/9, remained undefeated, performed at a rating of 2628, and gained 17 Elo points.
Aarav consistently maintained a balance between chess and academics and performed well in his studies. In 2025-26, for the first time, he took a gap year from school, Philips Academy, in the United States, to focus entirely on chess. He expressed his gratitude to the school for giving him this opportunity to pursue his chess ambitions with single-minded focus.
Aarav credits his coaches for nurturing his curiosity. He has trained under Vishnu Prasanna and Zaven Andriasian and has also attended training camps of Vladimir Chuchelov and Alexander Goloshchapov. He began reading chess books as early as six or seven years old. GM Vishnu Prasanna encouraged him not only to read chess literature but also books from other sports to develop a competitive mindset. His foundation for chess was built by his first coach, Pravin Thipsay. Apart from that, group training sessions, academy programs, and elite camps with trainers such as Tejas Bakre, Farrukh Amonatov, and Adam Tukhaev further helped him develop his skills.
Travel also played an important role in his journey. Visiting different cities in India and abroad exposed him to diverse cultures, and through interactions with fellow players, Aarav picked up conversational Spanish, French, Italian, and some German.
As the third Grandmaster from Mumbai, Aarav feels the chess journey in the city is very different from that in traditional chess hubs such as Chennai, Hyderabad, or Delhi. He believes the chess ecosystem in Mumbai is far more challenging as the city has fewer players, coaches and tournaments. According to him, sustaining a long-term interest in chess often requires extensive travel for training and competition. He has seen several talented players from his early years struggle to continue in the sport without that support. Hopefully, Aarav’s journey will inspire more players from the city and we see many more such success stories emerge from Mumbai.