Vantika Agrawal Aims for Grandmaster Title and Top 10 Women’s Spot in 2025

Over the past few months, Vantika Agrawal has delivered outstanding performances that have now earned her the prestigious Arjuna Award. The international master from Noida is determined to use her late-2024 success as a springboard for ambitious goals in 2025.

“I believe I can become a grandmaster this year,” Agrawal stated from New York after competing in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship. “My rating is currently 2411, so I need 89 more points to reach 2500. I plan to play in more tournaments and practice daily for six to seven hours. If I maintain this pace, I’m confident I’ll achieve the grandmaster title in 2025.”

Besides aiming for the grandmaster title, the 22-year-old has set her sights on breaking into the top 10 in women’s rankings and qualifying for the Women’s Candidates and the FIDE World Cup. She is currently ranked 39th in the world.

Interestingly, Vantika may find herself in an exciting race with another Indian international master, Divya Deshmukh, who is also targeting the grandmaster title in 2025. The two could become the fourth Indian woman to achieve the title, following Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and Vaishali Rameshbabu.

2024: A Year of Milestones

Agrawal’s 2024 achievements include winning individual gold on the fourth board for India at the Budapest Chess Olympiad, helping the women’s team secure gold. She scored an impressive 7.5/9 with a 2550+ performance rating. At the Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz tournament, she finished third in both formats, outperforming established stars like Humpy, Harika, and Vaishali. She also placed ahead of international heavyweights such as Alexandra Kosteniuk and Kateryna Lagno.

Her success continued at the Qatar Masters, where she recorded a 2500+ tournament rating, drawing three top-100 players and defeating Indian grandmaster Prraneeth Vuppala. Reflecting on these accomplishments, Agrawal said, “Winning the Arjuna Award feels incredible. The Chess Olympiad was the highlight of 2024, where I helped win both individual and team golds. Tata Steel and Qatar were also great events. At Qatar, I drew against three 2650+ players in my first three games, which was a strong start.”

Olympiad Success and Early Inspirations

Agrawal admitted there was pressure on the Indian women’s team in Budapest, given their top-seed status and the weight of expectations after narrowly missing gold in the 2022 Chennai Olympiad. She credited her ability to manage this pressure for her strong performance: “I focused on giving my best for the team without letting expectations affect my game. I’m happy I could deliver when the team needed me most.”

Agrawal recalls her turning point as a nine-year-old when she was felicitated by then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for winning twin golds at the Asian Championships. “That moment fueled my desire to keep winning,” she said.

Now, as she prepares to receive the Arjuna Award from President Droupadi Murmu, her determination to reach new heights is stronger than ever. “Ab aur jeetna hi jeetna hai (I need to keep winning),” she affirmed.