Sahithi Varshini becomes the first woman grandmaster from Visakhapatnam

Sahithi Varshini from Visakhapatnam scored her third and final WGM norm at the IM VII Round Robin tournament in Serbia, completing the requirements for the Woman Grandmaster title. She made steady progress through strong international performances.

She finished as the runner-up with six points from nine rounds and recorded a 2408 performance rating. She secured victories over strong opponents such as IM Neelash Saha and Vedant Panesar.

Sahithi showed impressive progress in her performances. She excelled at the Juraflora International Chess Tournament in France, facing four IMs and one GM. She was also named Best Woman Player in the tournament.

Sahithi maintained her strong form at the 2026 Kanizsa Open in Hungary, earning 5 points over 9 rounds with a performance rating of 2429 and her second WGM norm. Notably, she defeated GM Yeshaayahu Tzidkiya (2492) and IM Sahib Singh (2354).

Sahithi has also previously earned the Woman International Master (WIM) title and is also recognised as the first woman chess player from Visakhapatnam to earn the Woman Grandmaster title.

From an early age, Sahithi showed remarkable chess skills, claiming both Asian Under-10 and Under-12 championships as well as a Commonwealth Under-10 gold medal. She has represented India at the Chess Olympiad, and her international performances have boosted her rating and playing ability.

Her father-cum-coach, M Lokeswara Rao, a former national-level PSPB player, stated that this was a proud and memorable milestone in her chess journey and a new beginning towards greater heights.

“As the Woman Grandmaster, Sahithi will continue her international chess journey and reach even greater heights in the world of chess,” he said.

Also read: IATO Concludes 41st Annual Convention in Visakhapatnam

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