51st National Under-15 R1–4: Top seeds hold strong, Madhvendra on 4/4

Jharkhand's 14-year-old FM Adhiraj Mitra won the 36th National Under-17 Open Chess Championship 2026, held in Jammu & Kashmir from 28 September to 6 October, scoring an unbeaten 9/11. This is his maiden U-17 National title, adding to a good run that already included back-to-back Commonwealth Chess Championship gold medals in Malaysia 2025 and Sri Lanka 2026. In this article, Adhiraj talks about his chess journey, coaches, and the advantage of having a family with a chess background.

In chess, performance is usually explained through knowledge: opening preparation, calculation and positional judgment. In 2017, three experiences led GM Vishnu Prasanna to question how complete that picture is. A tournament in Wijk aan Zee, a story about a basketball coach, and the start of his work with Gukesh each pointed to something he couldn't yet name. In this essay, he reflects on what he has learned since.

How do you prepare for the world's biggest team event when your country barely holds any classical tournaments? This is the story of Skye Attieh, an 11-year-old who represented Lebanon at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad. There, she scored 7/10 and earned her WFM title. Her sister Kate, 13, was on the team too. She played on board four and earned her WCM title. Read on to find out how it all began. Photo: Mick Verkerk

WFM Cera Dagariya of Indore made history after becoming the Madhya Pradesh Senior State Champion. According to the records, it was the first time a female player won the Open State Championship in MP. All top 10 players finished on 7/8 points, and Cera clinched the title with the best tiebreak score. Vaibhav Nema of Narsinghpur and 8-year-old Raghav Singh of Bhopal secured 2nd and 3rd places. The tournament was organised in Indore from 2nd to 4th October. Photos: IA Yashpal Arora

FM Dhananjay Sonker of Chhattisgarh scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the Nexchess International Open FIDE Rating Classical Chess Tournament 2026. Mayank Pal of Delhi also scored 8 points and secured 2nd place on tiebreak scores. Ram Parab had the best tiebreak scores among all finishers on 7.5/9 points to secure 3rd place. Royal Chess Academy & Nexmove Events organised this tournament from 7th to 11th October in Delhi. Photos: Mr Rahul Gupta.

WIM Prishita Gupta recently won her 6th National Title and her 1st U-17 National Championship. She scored 9/11 points in the national championship to claim 1st place. Prishita was leading the tournament with a full point, but then she lost a game in the 9th round, and now it was a big test of her motivation and will to come back from that loss. We caught up with Prishita after the tournament, where she talked about her chess journey, coaches, mindset, and her targets.

Levy Rozman, better known as GothamChess, has a new book for players ready to move beyond the basics. How to Win at Chess, Next Level is now available at the ChessBase India shop. Aimed at players around 1000-1600 Elo, it covers planning, pawn structures, piece play, tactics, attack, defence and endgames. Here is a look at what is inside.

The Chess Academy of Armenia has announced the Tsaghkadzor Open International Chess Tournament 2026, scheduled from October 24 to October 30, 2026. The tournament will take place at the Eighty Eight Hotel and Spa in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. With a total prize fund of 7,000,000 AMD across two rating categories, alongside product sponsorships from ChessMood and Chessify, the 9-round Swiss tournament offers strong competitive exposure in the South Caucasus circuit.

Balanandan Ayyappan of Kerala scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the 3rd Eight Square Chess Academy Classical Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Prasanna Karthick M and Devnath Bijesh scored 7.5/9 points to finish second and third, respectively, on tiebreak scores. Eight Square Chess Academy organised the tournament from 7th to 11th October at the Hall of Chess, Chennai. The total prize fund was ₹5,00,001, with top 3 prizes of ₹50,000, ₹35,000 and ₹25,000 along with trophies. Photos: IA Arasu B

As a chess player, how often have you refreshed your FIDE profile and checked whether your rating moved? Have you ever wondered what really goes into it? Do you think rating treats everyone fairly? Physicist-turned-chess-coach Vlad Ghita spent months digging through 24 million games from 73 federations, and his findings are surprising. He even has a few tips for anyone planning a norm-hunting trip abroad. Read the article to learn more.

WIM Prishita Gupta of Delhi and FM Adhiraj Mitra of Jharkhand are the 36th Under-17 National Girls and Open Champions. In the Girls section, Prishita scored 9/11 points to clinch the championship; Shivamshika G of Telangana and Saranya Devi Narahari of Andhra Pradesh secured 2nd and 3rd places. In the Open section, Adhiraj Mitra and Haridev S of Tamil Nadu scored 9/11 points to finish in the top 2 places according to tiebreak scores. Vedant Garg of Chandigarh secured 3rd place with 8.5/11 points. Photo: Mr. Atul Kumar Gupta

They can't see the board, but they read it better than most of us. The Mind Champions Challenge, a rapid tournament for visually impaired chess players, returns for its 4th edition on Saturday- 17th October at the Phoenix ChessBase India Chess Club, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla. The event is sponsored by the Lions Club of Bombay Uptown and organised with the All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB), ChessBase India and Phoenix Marketcity. It has a prize fund of Rs. 53,000 and no entry fee . Two-time champion Swapnil Shah and defending champion Rohit Jadhav will both be looking for the another title. Can we have a new Champion this time? Here is everything you need to know.

Arpan Das from West Bengal scored 8/9 points to win the 2nd Rungta Cement International Open FIDE Rating Classical Chess Tournament 2026. IM Aradhya Garg remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and scored 8/9 points to finish 2nd on tiebreak scores. FM Harshit Ranjan Sahu finished 3rd. The total prize fund was ₹6,00,000, with top 3 prizes of ₹1,00,000, ₹60,000, and ₹40,000, along with trophies. Photos: Basant Khandelwal

Chess sells itself as a contest of calculation, where chance has been removed. Yet some elite players keep lucky pens, repeat outfits and meals, or give a cat a place in their pre-game routine. The interesting question is not whether a charm can change a position on the board; it is why people reach for one when the result matters and control feels limited.

Finding a chess coach usually relies on word of mouth or WhatsApp forwards. ChessDial by ChessBase India provides a structured directory where you can search for coaches by location, language, skill level, or preference for online vs. in-person lessons. Over 100 verified coaches and academies - from Grandmasters to beginner instructors are currently listed with transparent pricing. Listings are free for coaches!

Being a captain is a little like watching your child take an important exam. The preparation is done, the test has begun, and there is nothing left to do but wait and watch. The result matters, but all the parent can offer is their presence. We found some interesting photos from the Olympiad that show how the captains spent those long hours. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz

Candidate Master Saurabh Choubey of Madhya Pradesh scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the 26th Mizoram Open Rapid Chess Tournament. Johnson Zoremthara Chhangte of Mizoram scored 8/9 points to secure 2nd place. Mizoram Chess Association organised this tournament on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee and 50 years in chess. We interviewed Saurabh after his win; check out this report. Photos: Mr.Lalchhauna

What does it take to build a chess community where there was none? In Bhadohi, it took two cousins, a handful of borrowed boards and ten young women willing to teach what they had just learned. This is the story of Checkmate Her Limits, and of the mentors leading it. Checkmate Her Limits, launched by Shreejan Learning Hub on January 1, 2026, aims to empower these young girls and teach them chess.

Grandmaster Abhimanyu Puranik scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the 1st Saakar Foundation All India Open Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Four players, including IM Akshay Borgaonkar, FM Kaivalya Sandip Nagare, IM Kushagra Mohan, and FM Jaiveer Mahendru, scored 7.5/9 to finish in 2nd to 4th place. Saakar Foundation organised the tournament on 4th October with a ₹4,00,000 prize fund. The top 3 prizes were ₹1,00,000, ₹65,000, and ₹41,000 along with trophies. Photos: Mr.Rajendra Shidore

Coming from badminton and motorsport, Naganethra Reddy expected chess to feel quiet and hard to read. Watching the Global Chess League changed that: the drama was in the glances, pauses, and small gestures around the board, and in the stories shared through the commentary. Here’s what she thinks.

ChessBase India was among the creators invited to the YouTube Impact Summit 2026, held at the Leela in New Delhi on 29th of September. Sagar Shah was part of a panel discussion. The impact summit is one of YouTube's marquee event where they release to the country the impact that YouTube has managed to create.

The current superstars of the Indian chess team, World Champion D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin, are today strong players in every format of the game, but the foundation for all of them was laid in classical chess. From childhood, all of them grew up playing classical events across India and around the world. It is classical chess that, in the true sense, balances your process of thinking, of understanding the game and then of taking the right decision. That is why it is important for every budding player to play it, and that is why we are organising the Khelo Chess India Classical tournament in Bhopal every three months, and we invite you to come and take part in this event.

Premier Chess Academy’s Chess for Everyone 3.0 combined four days of FIDE-rated Classical chess with outstanding performances by Kerala’s young talents and a memorable special appearance and simultaneous exhibition by Super Grandmaster and Arjuna Awardee Vidit Gujrathi. Sahoo Utkal Ranjan of Odisha scored a perfect 8/8 to win the tournament, while this edition gave young players an unforgettable opportunity to meet, interact with, and play with Vidit Gujrathi. Photos: Premier Chess Academy