Aaryan Varshney has just made history by becoming the newest Chess Grandmaster from India. This 21-year-old student is now the 92nd person in the country to earn this title. Worldwide, there are nearly 1,800 Grandmasters, and Aaryan has officially joined this elite group. His journey is very rare because he reached the top without a professional coach. Most top players spend a lot of money on experts to help them improve. Instead, Aaryan relied on his father and his own hard work at home. His success shows that great talent can bloom even without expensive training or schools. This young man from Delhi has proven that simple tools can lead to massive success.
Aaryan’s journey started at home with his father, Gaurav, who is a physics teacher. His mother left when he was five, so his father raised him alone. Gaurav taught Aaryan the game and they used computer software to study their moves. They did not use expensive trainers or even read traditional chess books for help. According to ChessBase, they spent many hours together just analyzing their own games. This helped Aaryan learn from his mistakes and build his own unique playing style. His father’s belief was that playing the game is better than just studying it. This practical method allowed Aaryan to rise quickly through the national chess rankings.
Financial struggles meant that Aaryan could not travel to Europe for many big tournaments. As noted by the Times of India, he became an International Master while playing only in Asia. This is very unusual for a player aiming to become a top Grandmaster. Once he got the chance to travel, he secured his final title very quickly. Sportstar reports he won his final requirement in Armenia with a very high score. He finished the event unbeaten and played much better than many experienced older players. Now a university student, Aaryan dreams of becoming the world champion one day. He also wants to defeat the famous Indian champion Gukesh in a future match.
