India nears 100th Grandmaster amid debate on title inflation

India is on the verge of crowning its 100th Grandmaster, a historic milestone for a nation that waited until 1988 for Viswanathan Anand to become its first. The achievement comes against a backdrop of global title inflation that has seen the number of Grandmasters worldwide rise from fewer than 300 in 1997 to over 2,500 today.

Veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay told Times of India that FIDE relaxed title criteria in 1998 under then-president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, lowering rating floors and making norms easier to achieve as the governing body collected fees from rated players. Thipsay argued that a 2600 rating in the 1980s is equivalent to 2750 today, yet the GM threshold remains at a 2600 performance.

Thipsay also criticised the rising cost of chess tournaments, with entry fees of Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 for one-day rapid events, saying the sport has become accessible only to the affluent. He warned that parents often mistake early, low-level rating success for genuine talent and make drastic life decisions like giving up studies.