New Delhi: Arunayak Ghosh was just four years old when his mother’s customary room-cleaning session led him to discover a box of old chess pieces. It belonged to his father. However, to the little boy, it didn’t matter much. The black and white pieces just looked like soldiers on the battlefield. He started moving them on the floor. In the blink of an eye, the 64-square game had turned into a full-fledged battleground. Her father Mrinal Ghosh was watching all this from the door in silent shock.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Mrinal had casually played chess in his youth, but seeing his son’s natural passion brought back memories of his younger days. It was at that moment that it was decided that chess would be an integral part of his son’s life. And not only did he decide to nurture Aroniak’s talents, but the father, inspired by the son, eventually began playing competitively himself and later earned an official FIDE rating.On Sunday, his son Aroniak officially became India’s 95th Grandmaster after a remarkable performance at the 23rd BCC Open 2026 in Bangkok. Scoring an unbeaten 7/9 with a performance rating of 2584, he achieved his third and final GM standard.A long awaited GM title For the Ghosh family, this honor is more than a sporting achievement. The latest benchmark marks the end of a long, stressful wait, with the 22-year-old Kolkata-born crossing the coveted 2500 ELO rating mark and achieving his first GM benchmark in 2022. The last routine was unsafe for about four years.“It’s a complete relief,” Arunayak’s mother, Sanchita Ghosh, told Times of India.com in an exclusive interview from Bangkok. “As parents, after leaving everything behind, even academics aside, this is a huge relief for us. It means that what we committed to has finally paid off.”Coming from a humble background, the family had to make choices that most would find unimaginable.Mrinal, a chess player who later became an arbiter, often found himself selling family belongings to ensure Aroniak could afford entry fees and travel expenses for tournaments. Because resources were scarce, Aroniak grew up playing with a unique kind of pressure.Unlike many of his peers who had the cushion of corporate sponsorship, Aroniak knew that his ability to play in the next tournament depended on his performance in the current one.“We didn’t get much financial support,” recalls Sanchita. “Most of the time, we relied on his prize money to fund more tournaments. It was always reinvested. At a very young age, he understood that winning prize money was necessary to keep playing. He thought that if he played too aggressively and lost, he wouldn’t have the funds to continue. They had to make a lot of sacrifices, which is why they could not play as many international tournaments as others.“
Arunayak Ghosh (Photo Credit: Chase Base India)
Aroniak has been grinding for years.Aroniak’s first serious brush with competitive chess came at the Under-7 Nationals. It was a difficult experience. Without proper preparation, he struggled and felt overwhelmed. “After every round, he would ask about the opponent’s condition and ranking. It was very stressful for him,” revealed his mother.Soon, the family sought out Sarabjit Adhikari, who helped Aroniak develop the ability to sit at the board for hours. Later, he moved to Debindu Barwa Chess Academy and finally Alekhine Chess Club around 2013-14.It was at the Alekhine Chess Club that he met Somin Majumdar, fondly known as Somin Da. Under his guidance, Aroniak adopted the rigorous training schedule commonly seen in South Indian chess centers, often practicing for eight to nine hours a day.Under the supervision of Durgaprasad Mahapatra and the guidance of Somin Majumdar, the playing of Aroniak gradually matured.Some recognized the financial condition of the family and provided free coaching, even arranging sessions with higher Grandmasters at their own expense.“Somin da would be the happiest if he were alive today,” Sanchita told the website. “They didn’t see Aranik become a grandmaster. He always said: ‘Don’t just aim for 2500, aim for 2600’.”‘Chess is the main thing. Everything else is secondaryDespite focusing more on chess, Aroniak was a student at South Point School from nursery to class 12. He is currently pursuing a BA in Prafulchandra College and is employed in the Eastern Railway, which provides some much-needed stability.Last month, Aroniak, who currently trains with IM Arghyadeep Das, clinched his national rapid title, followed by a third-place finish with the RSPB B team at the 45th National Team Championships. By the time he landed in Thailand, the “GM-in-waiting” tag was ready to be shed. His first regular came in 2022 in Barcelona, followed by the second in 2024 in France. The third routine in Bangkok finally closed the circle.For Aroniak, the title isn’t a finish line, but a license to finally play without the weight of “the next tournament fee” on every move.Sanchita Ghosh, a lawyer by profession and travels frequently with her son, clears the air about her future: “There is nothing else. He has done nothing but chess. It is not possible to go to academics now. The time to build this foundation was already completely dedicated to chess. Everything else is another thing of chess.”
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