KASHISH MANOJ JAIN
The First Step Towards Grandmaster
A first GM norm earned. A bigger journey begins.
There are moments in a chess player’s career when years of preparation suddenly become visible on the results sheet.
For IM Kashish Manoj Jain, that moment arrived in Granada.
At the Granada Chess Open 2026, Kashish scored an impressive 7/9, finishing fourth in a field that included Grandmasters and International Masters from around the world. His performance rating was reported at approximately 2580, and, most importantly, the result earned him his first Grandmaster norm.
The tournament was won by Indian GM Bharath Subramaniyam with 7.5/9, while Kashish finished among a group of players on seven points.
For Kashish, however, fourth place was only part of the story.
The bigger achievement was the norm.
The journey towards Grandmaster had officially begun.
Nine Rounds. Seven Points. One Big Step
Kashish entered the Granada Open as a 2394-rated International Master.
Over nine rounds, he produced a remarkably consistent performance.
6 wins.
2 draws.
1 loss.
7/9.
Among his victories was a win over IM Joaquin Fiorito, rated 2440 at the event. His only defeat came against the eventual champion, GM Bharath Subramaniyam.
That combination of results tells us something important.
This was not a tournament where Kashish simply collected points against lower-rated opponents.
He was competing successfully against strong titled opposition and maintained his position near the top of the standings throughout the event.
By the end of nine rounds, the first GM norm was his.
The Game Behind the Norm
A GM norm is ultimately earned on the chessboard.
And Kashish’s Granada campaign deserves to be explored through his games.
Kashish Jain vs Joaquin Fiorito, Granada Chess Open 2026, Round 6
Kashish Jain’s victory over higher-rated IM Joaquin Fiorito was built around sustained piece activity and pressure.
The Ruy Lopez developed into an active middlegame after 11.d4, opening the centre while Black’s queenside remained vulnerable.
The sequence 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.Bxd5 gave Kashish an active bishop, and 18.Be3 Nb6 19.Bc6 increased the pressure. His rook invasion with 22.Rec1 and 23.Ra7 was particularly strong, placing Black under constant defensive pressure.
After 26.e5! dxe5 27.dxe5, Kashish created a dangerous passed pawn. Black’s 28…Rfc8? allowed 29.Qc5!, maintaining White’s advantage before the queens were exchanged.
The critical moment came in the endgame. With barely a minute remaining, Kashish played 37.f5??, allowing 37…gxf5 and giving Black practical chances.
However, he immediately found 38.e6!, creating another powerful passed pawn. Following 38…h4?? 39.Bh5, the e-pawn reached e7 and tied Black’s pieces down.
The final sequence 43.Bxe8 Rxe8 48.Kg2 Rg8+ 49.Kxf2 eliminated Black’s counterplay, and Fiorito resigned after 50.Ke3.
Lesson:
Keep creating problems: even under severe time pressure, active pieces and passed pawns can turn difficult positions into winning chances.
A Road To The First Norm
The Granada result did not appear from nowhere.
Kashish has already established himself as an International Master, and his rating has been hovering around the 2400 level. The next challenge was therefore not discovering whether he belonged among strong players.
It was taking the next step.
The GM title requires three Grandmaster norms, along with the required rating threshold and other FIDE conditions.
So this first norm is important—but it is only the beginning.
One norm does not make a Grandmaster.
It does, however, provide something extremely valuable: proof that the goal is realistic.
What Makes the Granada Result Special?
A 7/9 score in a strong open tournament is impressive on its own.
But the context makes Kashish’s result even more meaningful.
The Granada Open brought together 353 players representing 48 federations, including 11 Grandmasters and 30 International Masters.
Kashish finished fourth overall.
He did not merely participate in a strong international tournament.
He was competing at the very top of it.
That is the significance of his first GM norm.
Beyond the Numbers
Chess has a strange way of making years of work look like a single moment.
A result appears on a tournament table.
A norm gets added to a profile.
A rating changes.
But behind that number are thousands of hours of calculation, preparation, tournament travel, difficult losses and games where things simply did not work.
Kashish’s first GM norm is therefore more than a line on his résumé.
It is a milestone in a journey that has already taken him from promising player to International Master—and now towards the next title.
The Road Ahead
The first GM norm is secured.
Two more are required.
The challenge now is to reproduce this level consistently.
There will be tournaments where the points do not come. There will be difficult opponents, missed opportunities and perhaps stretches where the rating moves in the wrong direction.
That is part of the journey.
But Granada has changed something.
Kashish Manoj Jain is no longer simply trying to become a Grandmaster.
He now has his first GM norm to prove that he can perform at that level.
The first step has been taken.
The road to Grandmaster continues.
References
- Chess-Results — Granada Chess Open 2026 final standings and player results.
- ChessEver — Kashish Manoj Jain earns first GM norm at Granada Chess Open, 5 August 2026.
- Granada Chess Open / local tournament reporting — tournament field, final standings and GM norm information.