1st Chola Chess GM 2026 R2: Sarbartho Mani Scores His 1st Classical Win Against a Grandmaster

Twelve years ago, a college student in Charlotte with an economics degree and no business plan asked his local chess community for $10,000 to open a chess club. They gave him $30,000. Today the Charlotte Chess Center teaches 2,500 children a week, runs more rated tournaments than there are days in the year, and hosts Judit Polgar, Peter Leko and Boris Gelfand as camp trainers. Sagar Shah travelled to Charlotte for the Daniel Naroditsky Memorial and sat down with founder Peter Giannatos to understand exactly how it was built.

1st Chola Chess Open International Grandmasters (Above-2250) Chess Tournament 2026 kicked off today at the Welcomhotel by ITC in Chennai. It is one of India's strongest open tournaments, as the average rating of the tournament is 2412. It's a nine-round classical tournament with 34 Grandmasters and 21 International Masters participating. The total number of players is 86, and all of them are titled players, which shows the strength of this tournament. Read what happened in Round 1 in this report. Photos: Devansh Singh

CM Gaurav Zagade, a chess coach and psychologist from Pune, has written a book titled "The Right Way to Support: A Practical Guide to Chess Parenting, Psychology & Child Development." The book explains how parents can support their children through the challenges of competitive chess. In this article, we explore what it has to offer.

IM Suyog Wagh scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the 2nd Shivbhumi Blitz Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Three players, including IM Suyog Wagh, IM Akshay Borgaonkar, and FM Viresh Sharnarthi, scored 8/9 points to finish in the top 3 places according to tiebreak scores. Shivbhumi Shikshan Trust organised this one-day blitz rating tournament in Aaroh Garden, Pune, on 18th October. The total prize fund was ₹50,000. The top 3 prizes were ₹10,000, ₹7,000, and ₹5,000, along with trophies. Photo: Tournament Committee

IM Mandar Pradip Lad of Goa scored a perfect 9/9 to win the 9th Late Shri Chandrakant Naik Memorial Rapid Rating Tournament 2026. This was his 4th Consecutive title win after winning the previous three editions. Another impressive stat was Mandar's score, as he scored a perfect score in all 4 editions. Devesh Anand Naik scored 8/9 points to finish in second place, while Abhishek Patil scored 7.5/9 points to finish third. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹1,00,000, and the top 3 prizes were ₹20,000, ₹12,000, and ₹8,000, along with trophies. Photos: FA Tanishq Kavlekar/Quepem Taluka Chess Association

Praggnanandhaa bounced back in style after a tough first day at the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown 2026. On the second day, when the stakes were higher than on day one, Praggnanandhaa scored 4 wins, drew 1 game, and lost only 1 game, taking a sole lead with 11 points. Pragg scored 1 win against Sindarov and Fabi and two wins against Nakamura. The stakes are even higher on day 3 as each win counts for 3 points. Can Pragg take it across the finish line? Watch the 7th round at 12 pm Local Time/ 10:30 pm IST on ChessBase India YouTube. Photo: Lennart Ootes

What if the training came first, and the fee was left to the player afterwards? GM Shyam Sundar's Elite Adult Masterclass at Chess Thulir has no fixed fee: players contribute after the sessions according to what they can afford and consider apt. The first edition is online on November 2, 3 and 4, 2026, from 8 to 10 p.m. IST, for players aged 20+ with a minimum rating of 2300+. It is an initiative built around training quality, trust and access for ambitious adults.

Hikaru Nakamura is back on board after quite some time, and he came back in style after getting an early lead on the 1st day of the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown 2026. The format of Clutch Chess is pretty simple: on the 1st day, players will get 1 point for a win; on the second day, 2; and on the third day, 3. After completing 3 rounds on the 1st day, Hikaru Nakamura is leading with 4 points, Javokhir Sindarov is in 2nd place with 3.5 points, Fabiano Caruana is in 3rd place with 2.5 points, and Praggnanandhaa is currently in last place with 2 points. The 4th round will start at 12 pm Local Time/ 10:30 pm IST. Photo: Crystal Fuller

Eleven-year-old Roman Shogdzhiev has earned his second grandmaster norm after scoring 6/9 at the Serbian Super League, where he represented Partizan Belgrade. The Russian youngster gained 26 rating points and now needs one more norm to secure the GM title. With eight months remaining to break Abhimanyu Mishra's age record, Shogdzhiev has a realistic chance of becoming the youngest grandmaster in history. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

The 2nd Ken Chess Solving Cup, held in Ichalkaranji, Kolhapur, brought together chess enthusiasts across different experience levels to test their analytical skills. The event marked another step towards promoting chess solving and building a vibrant community of solvers across Kolhapur district, Maharashtra.

The Queen's Gambit Declined is a very solid opening that begins with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6. Now the most common reply to this is 3.Nc3 and there are many moves that can be played here for Black, but GM Arjun Kalyan, one of the assistant coaches/seconds of the Indian women's team at the Chess Olympiad 2026, recommends the very interesting 3...h6!?

Can a comic book turn a little chess learner into a bigger dreamer? Shreyas, a seven-year-old who began learning chess in March 2026, might say yes. This parent’s review of ChessPa Meets Guki: The Golden Boy explores why the Gukesh comic has remained Shreyas’ favourite, and what a young reader took away from the journey of a little boy who became World Champion.

IM Sharan Rao scored a perfect 10/10 points to win the Fagernes Autumn Open 2026 Chess Tournament. Sharan was the clear favourite in the field, starting as the top seed, and he finished the tournament with 10 consecutive wins. Stanislav Hohelj of Ukraine scored 7.5/10, and Martin Andersen of Norway scored 7/10 to finish in second and third place. The top three prizes were €500, €300, and €200. Photo: Henrik Sjøl

CM Siddhant Salunke of Pune scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to finish a full point ahead of the remaining field to win the 1st Shivbhumi International Open FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament. Eight players scored 7.5/9 points; FM Viresh Sharnarthi and CM Shlok Sharnarthi secured 2nd and 3rd place according to tiebreak scores. Shivbhumi Shikshan Trust organised this two-day rapid rating tournament in Aaroh Garden, Pune, from 17th to 18th October. Photo: Tournament Committee

A reliable laptop has become an important part of a chess player’s training. It can make it easier to attend online classes, analyse games, work with databases and prepare for opponents. In this year’s ChessBase India YouTube Members Laptop Program. These funds were collected between 1st April 2025 and 31st March 2026, and the total amounts to Rs. 7,79,477.3. Seven players are receiving laptops to support their chess journeys.

Every year in Japan, October brings three certainties: the start of the autumn season and cooler temperatures; Oktoberfest-like setups, typically atop terraces; and the Japan Team Chess Championship. Top-seeded Tiger Kings Osaka team, featuring two members of Japan’s 2026 Olympiad team, won the 2026 Japan Team Chess Championship with a perfect 12/12. This tournament is especially memorable for Mayur Gondhalekar as it was his first-ever event as an arbiter back in 2023. This year, he decided to participate as a player and share this detailed report with us. Photo: Japan Chess Federation

IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam scored an unbeaten 7.5/8 points to win the long-running 24th Edition of the Adyar Times FIDE Rating Open Classical Chess Tournament 2026. It was his 6th time winning this tournament. The final standings beautifully illustrated the phrase "old is gold." International Master Ramanathan Balasubramaniam and FIDE Master Ram S. Krishnan, both veteran players from Tamil Nadu, claimed the top two spots, outpacing a field packed with talented teenagers. Read this full report by CM & IA S. Paul Arokia Raj

Between long gaps in her College, a student and her friends turned a cheap plastic chess set into a new campus ritual. Then a fiercely competitive game against her long-distance partner took an unexpected turn when a puppy ran off with a bishop. What followed became a story about student life, love, laughter and the unlikely ways chess can bring people together.

Team India secured a total of 12 medals at the 20th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2026, including 6 individual medals (3 Gold and 3 Silver) and 6 team medals (1 gold and 5 Silver). Rajeswari Aiyappan won the Gold Medal in the Girls Under-11 Standard format; Nimalan Dharanipathy secured Double Silver in the Boys Under-7 Standard and Rapid. WCM Anvi Deepak Hinge secured a double gold and silver in Standard and Blitz in Girls Under-9, and WCM Yakshini P dominated the U-11 Girls Rapid format to claim Individual Gold. Photo: Asian Chess Federation

Winning the 2025 National Championship marked a major milestone for Grandmaster Iniyan Panneerselvam, but he has treated the crown as a launching pad rather than a finish line. This year, Iniyan won 2 strong tournaments, 360 One Masters in Mumbai and La Plagne Open in France, with a dominant 2700 performance. Iniyan also won Gold at the Rapid and Blitz Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026. In this interview, the reigning national champion reflects on his recent performances, the mindset behind his momentum, and his sights set on crossing the 2650 barrier.

The 41st Edition of the prestigious European Club Cup 2026 concluded with Bayegan Pandik Sports Chess Club (Turkey) and Novy Bor Chess Club (Czech Republic) finishing in the top 2 places according to tiebreak scores. Both teams finished on 13/14, but Bayegan Pandik Sports had the better tiebreak scores. Nihal Sarin and Harikrishna Pentala played a major role in Novy Bor Chess Club's success, as Nihal secured individual gold on the 2nd board with an unbeaten 5/6, and Harikrishna secured Silver on the 3rd board with an unbeaten 5/6. Photos: ECU/Mark Livshitz

FM Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar, IM Nitin S, CM Karthik Sai Ch, Arul Anandh SPK, Prasanna Karthick M, and FM Rohith S scored 7.5/9 points, finishing in the top 6 according to tiebreak scores at the 1st Manchester City International Open FIDE-rated Classical Chess Tournament. Nishanth Abhijeet Jawalkar had the best tiebreak score to clinch the title. Veer Chess Academy organised this 5-day classical tournament. The total prize fund was ₹11,50,001, along with trophies, laptops, and televisions. Photos: IA Vijayaraghavan V

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.