Telugu Chess Prodigy Sahithi Varshini Earns WGM Title

Visakhapatnam-born 19-year-old chess player Sahithi Varshini has completed the requirements for the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title after securing her third and final WGM norm at the IM VII Round Robin tournament in Serbia. She finished second with six points from nine rounds, registering a performance rating of 2408 and gaining 23 rating points. Sahithi also defeated fellow Indians IM Neelash Saha and Vedant Panesar during the tournament.

Sahithi earned her first WGM norm at the Golden Horse IM Round Robin tournament in Hungary in September 2025 and her second at the Kanizsa Open in August 2026. Her father, Lokeswara Rao, introduced her to chess at around the age of five and a half and trained her in the early stages of her career. After making her mark at the state and national levels, Sahithi has now reached another milestone by completing all requirements for the Woman Grandmaster title.