GMChithambaram VR. Aravindh

Aravindh Chithambaram grew up in Thirunagar near Madurai. His father died when he was three, and his mother supported the family through insurance work. His grandfather taught him chess at seven, initially hoping to keep the cricket-loving child occupied at home. Aravindh won India's under-nineteen championship at twelve and took silver in the 2012 World Under-14 Championship. In 2013, he won the Chennai Grandmaster Open, defeating four grandmasters before he had earned even his first international-master norm. He became a grandmaster in 2015. He won the Indian championship in both 2018 and 2019. A further breakthrough came at the 2024 Chennai Grand Masters, where he defeated Levon Aronian in the playoff. In 2025 he won the Prague Masters by a full point.