15-year-old Arshiya Das from Tripura becomes the first WIM of North East India
Arshiya Das from Tripura has created history by becoming the first Woman International Master of North East India. The 15-year-old completed all three WIM norms within a year. Her final norm came in Serbia, where she won the 42nd Rudar IM Round Robin tournament with 6.5/9 score. Along the way, she also earned her first Woman Grandmaster norm. Arshiya’s journey stands as a strong inspiration for young players, especially girls from the North East region. Discover her rise to becoming the region’s first Woman International Master. Photo: Purnendu Das
North East India gets its first Woman International Master
15-year-old Arshiya Das from Tripura has created history by becoming the first Woman International Master from North East India. She achieved her final WIM norm at the 42nd Rudar IM norm Round Robin tournament in Serbia. Her achievement was even more special because she won the tournament outright by scoring 6.5/9. The cherry on the top was earning her first Woman Grandmaster norm at the same event!
First WIM Norm: Asian Individual Chess Championship in the UAE
In April 2025, Arshiya earned her first WIM norm at the Asian Individual Championships in the UAE. She scored 5/9, performed at a rating of 2247 and gained 40 Elo points from the tournament. Her notable wins were against WGM Munkhzul Turmunkh and WIM Karimova Guldona.
Second WIM Norm: 12th GM mix tournament in Serbia
The second norm came at the start of this year, at the 12th GM mix tournament in Serbia. She scored 4.5/9, performed at a rating of 2355 and gained 71 Elo points from the tournament. Arshiya has annotated one game, her victory against FM Rupesh Reddy from this tournament:
Third WIM Norm: 42nd Rudar IM norm Round Robin tournament in Serbia
The third and final norm also came in Serbia at the 42nd Rudar IM norm Round Robin tournament this month. She won the tournament with a score of 6.5/9, performed at a rating of 2409 and gained 100 Elo points. She defeated some strong players in the tournament, including FM Mihailo Djokic (2253), WIM Prishita Gupta (2287), Aanjaneya Phatak (2154), GM Branko Damljanovic (2355), and GM Vladimir Raicevic (2331). Arshiya has annotated two games from the tournament for our readers:
From the beginning of her chess journey, Arshiya Das trained under Ramesh Koloi and Pradip Chaudhary from Tripura, Apolo Rajkumar from Manipur, FM Prasenjit Datta in Delhi, GM Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury in Kolkata, and later at the Chess Gurukul in Chennai under GM R.B. Ramesh and WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy.
Speaking to ChessBase India, Arshiya's father, Purnendu Das mentioned:
"We, the parents of Arshiya, want to thank IM Kaustuv Kundu, GM Swayams Mishra for the personal coaching given to her. We would also like to thank the Chola Chess Academy and Killer Chess Training. Our sincere gratitude to the Government of Tripura. HelpChess Foundation has helped us with the S.Krishnan scholarship and now the Quantbox Research Scholarship. A big thanks to ChessBase India's YouTube members for enabling her to work with a new laptop."
Last year, we supported nine promising chess players by providing them with an ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED laptop to help their training and online preparation. Chess in North East India is still in a developing phase and there is no access to advanced coaching centres in the region. As a result, players like Arshiya Das rely heavily on online training. Keeping her requirements in mind, we provided her with the necessary support to aid her preparation. This support was made possible because of our generous ChessBase India YouTube members. You can read about the ChessBase India YouTube Members Program in detail in this article.
Earlier in her journey, Arshiya received the S. Krishnan Scholarship for two consecutive years, with Rs. 50,000 awarded each year. It is satisfying to see how such support helped her not just improve chess but achieve important milestones in her career.
Arshiya is currently studying in Class X at Holy Cross School, Agartala, under the ICSE board. The school authorities, including the Principal, Vice Principal, teachers, and classmates, have been extremely supportive, providing her with special classes and notes, especially during exam periods. She is going to appear for her Class 10 board examinations in January 2027. This kind of support plays a crucial role in a young sportsperson’s journey. A nurturing school environment that understands and encourages a student’s sporting ambitions helps them balance academics and professional goals without any worries. In Arshiya’s case, look how this backing has motivated her to make history!
This achievement is an important step in her journey as well as in Indian chess. Arshiya now sets her sights on the International Master and Grandmaster titles. Despite limited resources, her determination, hard work, and strong will have brought her this far. Her story is an inspiration for young chess players from the North East, especially girls who want to pursue chess professionally.
