Supratit Banerjee, a Year 8 pupil at Sutton Grammar School, has been confirmed as a chess International Master at 12. How he earned it and what comes next.

A 12-year-old pupil at Sutton Grammar School is now a chess International Master. Supratit Banerjee’s title has been approved by FIDE, the world chess federation. It is the second-highest title in the game, one rung below Grandmaster.

FIDE’s ratings register lists the International Master title against his name with the status “YES”, approved at the third FIDE Council meeting of 2026, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. (FIDE ratings profile)

The school announced it to its community this term. Supratit is in Year 8 at the grammar school in Manor Lane. The school said he had “fulfilled the requirements for the prestigious FIDE International Master (IM) title, following an exceptional year of competition”, and that his ambition is to become a Grandmaster. (Sutton Grammar School)

The numbers on his FIDE record

FIDE’s own profile for him shows:

  • Born: 2014, playing for England
  • Standard rating: 2420
  • Rapid rating: 2333
  • Blitz rating: 2375
  • National rank: 25th among active players in England

(FIDE ratings profile)

A FIDE title is for life. The federation’s rules say titles are “valid for life from the date confirmed by the FIDE Council”. (FIDE Handbook, title regulations)

How he earned it

An International Master title needs three “norms”. A norm is a tournament performance at IM level against a strong, mixed field. FIDE sets the bar at a performance of at least 2450 against opponents averaging 2230 or more. (FIDE Handbook, title regulations)

His three norms came over about a year:

  • First norm: the 2025 British Chess Championships
  • Second norm: an International Master norm tournament in Sheffield this summer, where he finished joint first on 6.5 points out of 9, with five wins and three draws
  • Third norm: the 2026 British Chess Championships

The Sheffield result comes from the school’s report at the time, which said he then needed “only one more IM norm and a small number of additional rating points”. (Sutton Grammar School) The first and third norms are listed on his own website. (supratitbanerjee.com)

Timeline of Supratit Banerjee's chess titles: Candidate Master in 2023, first IM norm at the 2025 British Chess Championships, FIDE Master in 2025, second IM norm in Sheffield in 2026 with 6.5 out of 9, third IM norm at the 2026 British Chess Championships, and the International Master title approved by FIDE Council in 2026. Standard rating 2420.
His titles and norms, from FIDE, the school and his own site. Graphic by Sutton Online
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A busy year at the board

The school has reported a run of results in the last twelve months:

  • UK Blitz Final 2025: he qualified from one of 16 regional events and played a field including Grandmasters and International Masters. (Sutton Grammar School)
  • 2026 British Rapid Championship: joint third on points. (Sutton Grammar School)
  • 2026 ChessKid Youth Championship: winner of the online under-13 event run by Chess.com’s junior platform, on his birthday, with a final against Bodhana Sivanandan. (Sutton Grammar School)
  • Kasparov training camp: this summer he was invited to a camp in Zagreb, where former world champion Garry Kasparov reviewed several of his games. (Sutton Grammar School)

Is he the youngest ever?

His own website calls him the “UK’s Youngest International Master”. (supratitbanerjee.com) We have not found a statement from the English Chess Federation confirming the record, so we report it as his claim. Before the title came through, the school said it “could place him among the youngest players in English chess history to reach this level”. (Sutton Grammar School)

He started young. His site says he joined Lenzie Chess Academy in Scotland at six in February 2020, and kept playing online through lockdown. After his family moved to London in 2022 he joined Coulsdon Chess Academy. He has since played in the 4NCL, the national chess league, now for Kingston Chess Club in Division 1. (supratitbanerjee.com)

What it means for you

For young players in the borough, the route he took is open to anyone: club chess, rated weekend tournaments and league matches. His first club in London was a short way over the border in Coulsdon, and Kingston’s club plays in the top division of the 4NCL.

For Sutton’s schools, it is another strong year. Sutton Grammar also reported the best A-level results in its history this summer; our round-ups of Sutton’s GCSE results and school term dates have the rest.