Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar Wins 1st Manchester City Open Classical Rating 2026

On October 10, ChessBase India teamed up with Chess Coffee Connect to organise "The Chess Solving Cup" across multiple venues in Delhi NCR. Around 45 participants came together to tackle challenging chess compositions, test their analytical skills and discover a different dimension of the game. With contests for different age groups and a mix of chess solving and over-the-board action, the day celebrated the many facets of chess. In this pictorial report, we bring you glimpses from the day's events and introduce the wonderful team whose dedication helped make it all happen.

Vignesh B of Tamil Nadu scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the 2nd Rotaract RUAS – Children Chess Academy All India Open FIDE-rated Rapid Chess Tournament. IM Harshad S also scored 8.5/9 points and secured 2nd place according to tiebreak scores. Five players scored 8/9 points, and IM Gusain Himal secured 3rd place. The tournament was organised on 18th October at Dwaraka Hall, M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (RUAS), Bengaluru. Photos: IA Vasanth BH

WIM Prishita Gupta of Delhi and CM Divith Reddy Adulla of Telangana are newly crowned Indian National Sub-Junior Champions. Prishita scored an unbeaten 10/11 points to win the 42nd Girls Sub-Junior National Championship with a full-point lead. WFM Nivedita VC and WFM Maitreyi Mondal secured 2nd and 3rd places in Girls. CM Divith Reddy Adulla scored 9.5/11 points to win the 51st Open Sub-Junior National Championship. Meanwhile, FM Madhesh Kumar S and Niladri Banerjee secured 2nd and 3rd places in the Open. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

Building on the encouraging response to its 1st training camp, SBG Chess Academy has organised its second chess training camp in Moranhat, Dibrugarh, Assam. The camp was scheduled from October 10th to October 16th, 2026, and continues the academy’s long-term mission of bringing structured, high-quality chess coaching to promising young players from remote and underserved regions. IM Neeraj Kumar Mishra conducted his 2nd Camp to strengthen chess in Assam. Photos: R K Pancham Singh

The 4th Mind Champions Challenge was held at Phoenix Marketcity, Mumbai. After six rounds, 11-year-old Ved Phaur won the title, beating defending champion Rohit Jadhav in the final round. Ved needed a win from a position that looked drawn, and he kept playing until he got it! Here is how the day went, along with the people and partners who made it happen.

The World Championship match between Gukesh and Sindarov is getting closer, and everyone wants to know who their seconds will be. But what if we turn the question around and ask who won't be on their teams? We have a few names in mind, and some rather interesting reasons why they might not make the cut. Let's see if you agree!

The 2026 World Championship takes place at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, a venue that is half library, half museum. Founded by Zurich-born collector Martin Bodmer, it houses over 150,000 documents, from ancient papyri to rare books, and is listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Read about the fascinating and rich history of this legendary place.

India's 97th Grandmaster Harshavardhan G.B. scored 7.5/9 points to share 1st place at the Fagernes International Autumn Chess Tournament (GM Group). GM Rinat Jumabayev of Kazakhstan had the best tiebreaks to take 1st place. GM Tiger Hillarp of Sweden scored second, and Harshavardhan was third. The top three prizes were €3000, €2000, and €1000, which were equally shared among the top three finishers. Photo: Anniken Vestby

Chess Club IIT Kanpur is set to host the second edition of the SBI GIC Ltd. Presents FIDE-rated Open Rapid Chess Tournament on 25 October 2026. Following the massive success of its inaugural edition earlier this year, which brought together over 330 players, including titled masters and fresh campus talent, the tournament returns with an upgraded prize fund of ₹2,50,000. The team at Chess Club IITK shared details and insights about their journey, the previous edition, and the growing chess culture at the institute. Read on to know more.

The Penultimate round of the 51st Open and 42nd Girls National Junior Chess Championship is concluded. In the Girls section, WIM Prishita Gupta got a full-point lead going into the final round; she will be facing WFM Saranya Devi Narahari for the championship. In the Open section, FM Madhesh Kumar S. has a half-point lead over the field, and in the final round he is facing FM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma on the top board. The final round will start on 20th October at 10 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

Champions Chess Centre organised two editions of Champions Chess Rapid in Delhi on 23 August and 10 October 2026. Together, both editions recorded 434 player entries. The tournaments featured four categories: Under-8, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-16. Take a look at the winners and results from both tournaments. Photos: Ayush Jain & Champions Chess Centre

After 8 rounds at the 51st National Under-15 Open and 42nd National Under-15 Girls, Madhesh Kumar S and Shaunak Badola are co-leading with 7.5/8 points. In the Girls, top seed Prishita Gupta is showing a dominating performance as she defeated Nihira Koul to maintain her sole lead. In the 9th round, Madhesh and Shaunak will face each other in the open, while Prishita will face Maitreyi Mondal on the top board. The 9th round will start on 18th October at 10 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

Balkishan A. scored an unbeaten 7.5/8 points to win the 3rd ICC-Chessfee International Classical Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Five players scored 7/8 points to finish in 2nd to 6th place according to tiebreak scores. FM Ram S. Krishnan and Padmaesh MK secured 2nd and 3rd places. Indian Chess Consortium organised this 4-day classical chess tournament in Coimbatore from 1st to 4th October 2026. The total prize fund was ₹5,00,000, with top 3 prizes of ₹40,000, ₹30,000 and ₹20,000 along with trophies. Photos: Dr. G. G. Sathiesh

Nimzo-Indian is far more than just a sequence of opening moves. It's a profound strategic system, an education in itself. In this course, we won't merely memorize lines; we'll delve deep into its typical pawn structures, understand the crucial positional maneuvers, and grasp the underlying strategic ideas that make this defense so incredibly potent. It teaches you how to play chess, not just an opening.

The 7th round of the 51st National Sub Junior Championship witnessed a lot of upsets in the Open section. Top seed IM Jval Saurin Patel suffered a loss against Shaunak Badole of Maharashtra. Parambrata Sarkar defeated second seed Madhvendra Pratap Sharma to gain the joint lead with 3 others. In the 42nd National Sub Junior Girls Championship, Top seed Prishita Gupta is leading with a half point. The 8th round will start on 17th October at 10 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

Indian teams captured two world titles at the 6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners, winning gold in both the Youth and Women’s categories. India Youth 1 (Govt. Special Home & Children Home for Boys, Tirupati) and India Women 1 (Government Children Home for Girls, Bhopal) finished at the top in their respective sections in the tournament held online from 13th to 15th October 2026. Photos: Indian Oil

Few Indian chess fans know the name Ramesh Sheth, yet in 1960 he represented India at the Leipzig Olympiad and played the future World Champion Tigran Petrosian. After the Olympiad, he stayed on in Germany to study, later settled in Canada, and passed away in Florida in 1999. FI Praful Zaveri, who has spent years tracing Ramesh Sheth's story, shares what he has found of his games, his career and his life.

IM Anuj Shrivatri of Madhya Pradesh scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the Grandeur 10 International Open FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Anuj was on a perfect 8/8 and drew his final game against GM Abhimanyu Puranik to clinch the title. Abhimanyu scored 8/9 points to secure second place. Dhruvik Chess Academy organised this rapid tournament on 10th and 11th October 2026. 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: Dhruvik Shah

Six rounds have been completed at the 51st Under-15 National Championship, and in both the Open and Girls sections, no one is on a perfect 6/6 points. In the Open section, top seed Jval Saurin Patel and Madhvendra Pratap Sharma are tied on 5.5/6 points with 7 others. In the girls' section, top seed Prishita Gupta, who recently won the U-17 National Championship, is on 5.5/6, tied with 3 others. From 16th October, there will be a single round daily at 10:00 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

The world of chess is constantly evolving, and so are the ways we follow it! With tournaments taking place around the world and new stories emerging every day, there is always something to catch up on. And what better way to keep up than with a website that brings you closer to all the action? Our website has a new look, along with several new and improved features. Let’s explore what’s changed, what’s new, and how you can make the most of it! Graphic: Anmol Bhargav

The 51st National Sub-Junior (Under-15) Open and Girls Chess Championship is going on in Hyderabad from 12th October. After 3 days of action and 4 rounds of play, most top seeds are maintaining a perfect 4/4 score. In the open section, Madhvendra Pratap Sharma and Advik Agrawal are co-leading with 10 others. In the Girls section, 8 players are on a perfect 4/4. 15th October will be a double-round day, and the morning round starts at 10 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

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.