Karthik is all set to receive Grandmaster title

The Tirupati lad’s third and final GM norm came at a Masters tournament in Italy recently

Declaration of GM title to Karthik Venkataraman will officially be announced at the All India Chess Federation’s convention later this year.

Karthik’s dexterous moves with his nimble fingers on the chessboard have worked wonders and have taken him to the top.

Once a child prodigy of Tirupati, he is now a ‘Grandmaster’.

Karthik Venkataraman (FIDE ID No.25006479) had achieved the first GM norm in Barcelona on August 27 last year, followed by the second GM norm by bagging an international title in KIIT-Odisha on May 25 this year.

The third and final achievement came at a Masters tournament in Italy recently. His highest rating reached 2517 in July 2018 and the present rating points are 2502 for August.

The declaration of his GM title will be officially announced at the All India Chess Federation’s proposed convention later this year.

Mom’s gift

It all started with his mother V. Praveena Kumari presenting him a chessboard as a birthday gift when he was nine years old, recognising his interest in the game.

And there was no looking back. Karthik came State second in the U-9 category and bagged the ‘Child prodigy award’ from the Tirupati Junior Chamber for the year 2009.

He won the bronze medal for Andhra Pradesh in the ‘National School Games’ held in Goa in November 2010. Later, he struck gold at the Asian School Games in Sri Lanka in the U-11 age category, and had been selected for Poland and Dubai with free entry in December 2010.

Karthik had bagged the team medal in the Asian School Games held in Sri Lanka and got selected for Singapore.

“My son was a State champion in U-13, came second at the national level in 2017 in U-19, bagged gold medal in National School Games in U-17 category and silver medal in U-19,” says his father S. Venkataraman, brimming with pride.

Recently, he won the gold medal in the Commonweath Games held in July 2018, and had bagged five norms between 2015 and 2017 for the International Master (IM) title.

His ambition

A B.Com student at Emerald’s Degree College in Tirupati, Karthik is presently playing a tournament in Spain.

Apart from mastering the game, his professional ambition is to become a Chartered Accountant.