VS Rathanvel becomes India's 99th Grandmaster after a four-year wait

Coimbatore chess player VS Rathanvel has been named India's 99th Grandmaster, but the path there was far from straightforward. He had completed his GM norms in 2022, yet FIDE did not recognise the rating he had earned at that point, so he had to cross the 2500 rating mark a second time. Setbacks and mounting pressure marked the long process. He finally reached the required rating in Hungary, and the milestone brought more relief than celebration after four years of uncertainty.