51st National Under-15 R8: Madhesh and Shaunak Share Open Lead; Prishita Continues Dominance

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. Santhiesh

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.

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.