Parimarjan Negi, Chess Grandmaster
Chess Grandmaster

Parimarjan Negi

Born 9 February 1993 · Delhi

Achieved the grandmaster title at age 13 years, 4 months, and 20 days, second youngest then.

Parimarjan Negi is an Indian chess grandmaster. He achieved the grandmaster title at the age of 13 years, 4 months, and 20 days, which made him the second youngest grandmaster in history at the time. As of June 2025, he is the ninth youngest player to achieve this feat.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Parimarjan Negi became a grandmaster by surpassing Magnus Carlsen’s record by five days, achieving the title at 13 years, 4 months, and 20 days old in 2006.

The Story

1
In 2006, at just 13 years, 4 months, and 20 days old, Parimarjan Negi clinched his final grandmaster norm by drawing with GM Ruslan Shcherbakov in Satka, Russia, making him the second youngest grandmaster ever at that time.
2
🏆 At age 9, Negi won the under-10 division of the Asian Youth Chess Championship in Tehran (2002), setting an early marker for his international chess potential.
3In 2010, the Government of India honored Negi with the Arjuna Award, recognizing his accomplishments including the 48th National Premier Chess Championship title he won in New Delhi in 2010.
4🌏 Negi led India’s top board during the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway, where the Indian team secured a bronze medal, their best performance at that event.

🏅 Awards & Honours

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Arjuna Award

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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Negi earned his final grandmaster norm in Satka, Russia, by drawing against GM Ruslan Shcherbakov on July 1, 2006, a match crucial to breaking India’s youngest GM record.

🖼️

Through the Years

6 photographs from the archives
Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi competing at the World Junior Chess Championship in Gaziantep (2008)
Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi competing at the World Junior Chess Championship in Gaziantep (2008)
2008
Parimarjan Negi and Abhijeet Gupta at the World Junior Chess Championship in Gaziantep, Turkey (2008)
Parimarjan Negi playing at the Corus Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee (2010)
Indian chess grandmaster Parimarjan Negi in 2014
Parimarjan Negi playing against Peter Michalik in the German Bundesliga final at Eppingen (2014)

🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Born in New Delhi
Parimarjan Negi was born in New Delhi, India, beginning the life of a future chess prodigy.
1993
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Career
Wins Asian Youth U-10 Championship
Won the under-10 division at the Asian Youth Chess Championship held in Tehran, marking his first major international success.
2002
⚡
Career
Achieves Grandmaster Title
Earned final GM norm by drawing with GM Ruslan Shcherbakov at Chelyabinsk Region Superfinal in Satka, Russia, becoming India’s youngest grandmaster at that time.
2006
⚡
Career
Wins National Premier Championship
Won the 48th National Premier Chess Championship in New Delhi.
2010
🏅
Award
Receives Arjuna Award
Awarded the Arjuna Award by the Government of India for his achievements in chess.
2010
⚡
Career
Leads India to Chess Olympiad Bronze
Played on top board for the Indian team that won bronze at the 41st Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway.
2014
📚
Education
Graduates from Stanford University
Completed a Mathematics degree at Stanford University, marking a transition from chess to academics.
2018
📚
Education
PhD Student at MIT
Began PhD studies at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
2021
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 05
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

At the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway, Negi played on India’s top board, helping the team secure a bronze medal, their best ever result at the Olympiad to that date.

02 / 05
🔍LESSER KNOWN

Negi’s chess books, published between 2014 and 2016, consist of a rare three-part deep dive into 1.e4 versus various Sicilian defenses, a level of detailed opening theory analysis uncommon in Indian chess literature.

03 / 05
👤PERSONAL

After retiring from chess by 2017, Negi earned a Mathematics degree from Stanford University in 2018, a pivot illustrating a blend of elite sports and rigorous academia.

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🌱 What changed because of them

Parimarjan Negi’s record-breaking grandmaster title at a young age inspired a new generation of Indian chess talents, including Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh, accelerating India’s emergence on the global chess stage. His academic shift to Stanford and MIT helped bridge intellectual pursuits in chess with advanced computer science research, influencing the growing trend of chess players engaging deeply with AI and systems research.

💬 Social Buzz

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