FM Viresh Sharnarthi of Maharashtra became India's latest International Master. Born in 2010, he won the Western Asian Junior (Under-20) Open Chess Championship 2026 at the Rajpath Club in Ahmedabad on Thursday, finishing clear first with an unbeaten 7/9. The gold medal earns him a direct International Master title and a Grandmaster norm, subject to confirmation by FIDE.
Seeded sixth at 2326, Viresh began with two draws and then shifted gears with four wins on the trot. The biggest of them came in Round 6 against top seed FM Jihan Tejas Shah (2404), a win that gave him the sole lead. Draws with FM Kushal R Jani and FM Ankit Ray in the next two rounds kept him in front, and in the final round he defeated Syria's FM Mazen Fandi (2333) with the white pieces to seal the title. He finished with a performance rating of 2414 and gained 20 Elo points.
Final standings (Open)
Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | FM | IND | 2326 | 7 | |
2 | 3 | FM | SYR | 2333 | 6 | |
3 | 25 | CM | IND | 2103 | 6 | |
4 | 16 | FM | IND | 2190 | 6 | |
5 | 8 | FM | IND | 2319 | 6 | |
6 | 5 | FM | IND | 2329 | 6 | |
7 | 22 | CM | IND | 2117 | 6 | |
8 | 4 | FM | IND | 2331 | 5,5 | |
9 | 11 | FM | IND | 2276 | 5,5 | |
10 | 23 | IND | 2112 | 5,5 | ||
11 | 12 | IND | 2248 | 5,5 | ||
12 | 10 | FM | IND | 2280 | 5,5 | |
13 | 7 | FM | IND | 2326 | 5,5 | |
14 | 9 | FM | IND | 2318 | 5,5 | |
15 | 27 | IND | 2079 | 5 | ||
16 | 1 | FM | IND | 2404 | 5 | |
17 | 2 | FM | IND | 2354 | 5 | |
18 | 28 | IND | 2075 | 5 | ||
19 | 13 | FM | IND | 2236 | 5 | |
20 | 21 | IND | 2118 | 4,5 |
Madhvendra misses out on a technicality
13-year-old FM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma of Bhopal won the Under-18 Open with an unbeaten 7.5/9, finishing half a point ahead of FM Arpith S Bijoy. An Under-18 gold medal also carries a direct IM title, but the direct title rules require a minimum participation of five federations in the category. Only two federations, India and Sri Lanka, fielded players in the U-18 Open, so the title eludes Madhvendra this time. The Junior Open met the requirement, with five federations - India, Syria, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Oman - in the fray, which is why Viresh got the IM title. Rated 2389, Madhvendra's IM title looks only a matter of time.
The championship was organised by the Gujarat State Chess Association and the All India Chess Federation from October 23 to 29, with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one.
