Aronyak Ghosh (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: Aronyak Ghosh was just four years old when his mother discovered a box of dusty old chess pieces during her routine cleaning of the room. It belonged to his father. It didn’t matter much to the toddler though. Figures in black and white colors looked like soldiers on the battlefield. He started moving them around the floor. In the blink of an eye, the 64-field game turned into a full-blown warzone. His father, Mrinal Ghosh, watched all this from the door in silent shock.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Mrinal played chess casually in his youth, but seeing his son’s innate fascination reminded him of his youth. That was the moment when 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 talent, but the father, inspired by his son, eventually began playing competitively himself and subsequently earned an official FIDE rating.His son Aronyak officially became India’s 95th Grandmaster on Sunday after a remarkable performance at the 23rd BCC Open 2026 in Bangkok. With an unbeatable score of 7/9 with a power rating of 2584, he secured his third and final GM norm.The long-awaited GM title For the Ghosh family, the title is more than just a sporting achievement. With the Kolkata-born 22-year-old breaking the required rating threshold of 2500 ELO and achieving his first GM norm as early as 2022, the latest norm marks the end of a long and stressful wait. A final standard remained elusive for nearly four years.“It’s a complete relief,” Aronyak’s mother Sanchita Ghosh told TimesofIndia.com from Bangkok in an exclusive interview. “As parents, after leaving everything behind, even skipping academics, this is a huge relief for us. It means that what we set out to do has finally been achieved.”The family, which came from modest means, had to make decisions that would have seemed unthinkable to most.Mrinal, a chess player who later became an arbiter, often found himself selling family belongings so that Aronyak could afford the entry fees and travel expenses for tournaments. Since resources were scarce, Aronyak grew up playing with a unique kind of pressure.Unlike many of his peers who had the cushion of corporate sponsorship, Aronyak knew that his ability to play in the next tournament depended entirely on his performance in the current one.“We didn’t get much financial support,” Sanchita recalled. “Most of the time we depended on his prize money to finance other tournaments. It was always reinvested. He understood at a very young age that winning prize money was necessary to continue playing. He used to think that if he played too aggressively and lost, he wouldn’t have the resources to continue. He had to sacrifice a lot and that’s why he couldn’t play as many international tournaments as others.”
Aronyak Ghosh (Image credit: ChessBase India)
Aroniak’s journey over the yearsAroniak’s first serious foray into competitive chess came at the Under-7 Nationals. It was a tough experience. Without proper preparation, he fought and felt overwhelmed. “After every round, he asked about the opponent’s condition and rating. It was very stressful for him,” revealed his mother.Soon the family sought out Sarbajit Adhikari, who helped Aroniak develop the stamina to sit for hours at the blackboard. He later moved to Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy and finally Alekhine Chess Club around 2013-14.It was at the Alekhine Chess Club that he met Soumen Majumdar, affectionately known as Somen Da. Under his tutelage, Aronyak adopted the rigorous training schedules typically found in South Indian chess centers, often training for eight to nine hours a day.Under the supervision of Durgaprasad Mahapatra and the guidance of Soumen Majumdar, Aroniak’s playing continued to mature.Recognizing the family’s financial distress, Somen provided free coaching, even arranging sessions with top grandmasters at his own expense.“Somen Da would be the happiest if he were alive today,” Sanchita told this website. “He didn’t see Aranyak become a grandmaster. He always said, ‘don’t just aim for 2500, aim for 2600’.”“Chess is the first thing. Everything else is secondary.”Despite his heavy focus on chess, Aronyak remained a student at South Point School from nursery to class 12. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Prafulla Chandra College and holds a job with the Eastern Railway, which provides much-needed stability.Last month, Aronyak, who currently trains with IM Arghyadeep Das, secured the National Rapid title, followed by third place 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 dropped. Its first norm came in Barcelona in 2022, followed by the second in France in 2024. The third norm in Bangkok finally closed the circle.For Aronyak, the title isn’t a finish line, but a license, perhaps to finally play without the weight of “next tournament fee” hanging over every move.Sanchita Ghosh, a lawyer by profession and someone who often travels with her son, makes her future clear: “There is nothing else here. He did nothing else except chess. It is not possible to switch to academics now. The time to build this foundation has already been completely devoted to chess. Chess is the primary thing. Everything else is secondary.”
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