Punjab has achieved a new milestone in chess, as Namitbir Singh Walia from Jalandhar became the state’s second-ever International Master (IM).

Walia earned his final IM norm at the 3 rd Annemasse International Masters Tournament in France, finishing an impressive fourth overall in the event.

His coach, Kanwarjit Singh, announced the achievement in a post on Facebook.

This achievement comes nearly four years after Dushyant Sharma, who made history by becoming Punjab’s first International Master on February 1, 2022. Sharma, also from Jalandhar, had crossed the 2,400 rating mark after defeating IM Artem Sadovsky of Russia.

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