Aakash K P Wins 1st Sooriya Chess Academy Open FIDE Rating 2026
Tamil Nadu's Aakash K P emerged champion of the Sooriya Chess Academy 1st International FIDE Rating Open Chess Tournament 2026. Aakash scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 points to claim the championship. International Master Girinath P D S of Telangana secured the second place with 7.5/9 due to tiebreak scores. Praneeshwar Madhavan of Tamil Nadu secured third place with a score of 7/9 points. The tournament was organized by Sooriya Chess Academy from 3rd to 7th June 2026. Photos: J.G.Nivedhitha
Penultimate round victory
In the penultimate round, Girinath defeated Lukesh A, while Aakash scored an important win over Pranav Aby to move into a share of the lead. The final-round pairing saw Aakash K P face IM Girinath P D S in a crucial title-deciding clash. The game ended in a draw, leaving both players tied at 7.5/9 points. However, Aakash's better tie-break score helped him to clinch the title. The victory marks Aakash K P's first tournament title of 2026.
Top 3 finishers with their trophies
The tournament was held at Prof. Dhanapalan College of Science and Management, Kelambakkam, from 3rd to 7th June 2026. The event featured a total prize fund of ₹5,00,001, with the champion receiving ₹40,001 and a trophy, while the second and third prizes were ₹30,000 and ₹20,000 respectively.
A total of 150 players representing five federations - India, USA, Canada, The Netherlands, and England- participated in the tournament. Among them, 94 players were FIDE-rated, and the presence of two International Masters from two different states added competitiveness to the field. The time control was 90 minutes with a 30-second increment from move one.
A Huge thanks to IA Arun Seshadhri for sharing the details with us
Final Ranking
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | Typ | sex | Gr | FED | RtgI | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | TB6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | 62947CGL2026 | 1987 | Tamil Nadu | 7,5 | 51,5 | 55,5 | 45,25 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||||||
2 | 1 | IM | S55 | TG | 2295 | Telangana | 7,5 | 49 | 53,5 | 43,5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||||
3 | 16 | AFM | U13 | 1265CGL2026 | 1825 | Tamil Nadu | 7 | 49,5 | 54 | 40,5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||||
4 | 5 | U13 | 3708CHE2026 | 1993 | Tamil Nadu | 7 | 45,5 | 49 | 36,75 | 0 | 6 | 3 | |||||
5 | 4 | IM | S55 | 48/CHE/LIFE | 2065 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 51 | 55,5 | 39,25 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||||
6 | 10 | 3554CHE2026 | 1889 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 48 | 53 | 37 | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||||||
7 | 8 | 2897CHE2026 | 1936 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 48 | 52 | 36,25 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||||||
8 | 2 | 4365DGL2026 | 2170 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 48 | 51,5 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||||||
9 | 11 | KL | 1877 | Kerala | 6,5 | 47,5 | 52,5 | 34,75 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||||||
10 | 13 | 7929TLR2026 | 1843 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 46 | 50 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||||||
11 | 17 | 3333CGL2026 | 1819 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 44,5 | 48 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||||||
12 | 22 | U15 | USA | 1798 | United States of America | 6,5 | 44,5 | 47,5 | 31,25 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |||||
13 | 9 | U11 | 3752CHE2026 | 1912 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 42 | 46 | 31,25 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |||||
14 | 33 | U13 | 4888KAN2026 | 1696 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 41,5 | 44,5 | 28 | 0 | 6 | 3 | |||||
15 | 25 | U13 | 1271CGL2026 | 1783 | Tamil Nadu | 6 | 49,5 | 52,5 | 33,5 | 0 | 5 | 3 |