Kolkata: India got its newest Grandmaster as Bengal boy Aronyak Ghosh earned his third and final GM norm in the Bangkok Open meet that concluded in Thailand on Sunday.
It had been a long wait for the 22-year-old Kolkata boy who crossed the 2500 Elo rating in mid-2022, but was left waiting for his final norm for long. "In a way it has been a big relief for me," Ghosh told TOI from Bangkok after entering the elite club. He earned his first GM-norm finishing fourth in the Sants International Open in Barcelona in 2022 and the second one while winning the Annemasse Masters in France in 2024.
Ghosh became Bengal's 12th and India's 95th GM.
It was a dream fulfilment for his father Mrinal too, who himself wanted to be a chess player and introduced his son to the game.
The agonising wait actually started affecting Ghosh's game too. "I think I was a bit disheartened not to get the title in spite of getting close a couple of times. My ratings too fell after reaching a career high of 2555," Ghosh said. However, his World Cup show helped him regain confidence.
Ghosh defeated Polish GM Mateusz Bartel in the first round before being eliminated by Levon Aronian in the second round in Nov, 2025.
"I started working with International Master Arghyadip Das during the World Cup and that really helped," the Eastern Railway player said. "I did not initially plan to play the Bangkok Open, but sir (Das) and mother pushed me," the reigning National rapid champion revealed.
Ghosh finished fifth with seven points along with eight other players. He ended unbeaten drawing against England GM Nigel Short and citymate Surya Sekhar Ganguly.