Three golds among ten medals
The 4th Asian Rapid Chess Championship for Players with Disabilities 2026 was held on 1 November at the Ak Keme Hotel in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It was organised by the Kyrgyz Chess Union, the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE. Players competed in three categories: visual, hearing and physical impairment. The Indian players represented the Chess Federation for Physically Disabled, India.
Rapid
Boys Under-20: Gold and Silver
Nishan Mondal scored 3.5/5 to win Gold in the Boys Under-20 Physical Impairment category. Sarthak Singh finished half a point behind on 3/5 and took Silver. Uzbekistan's Nurmuhammad Ergashov scored 2.5/5 and won Bronze.
Women: Silver
Russia's Svetlana Lobova was in a class of her own in the Women's section. She won all five games to take Gold with a perfect 5/5. Ezhilarasi G scored 4/5 to win Silver in the Physical Impairment category, while Evgeniya Aganesova finished third on 4/5.
Girls Under-20: Gold and Bronze
AFM Sharon Rachel Aby scored 3/5 to win Gold in the Girls Under-20 Physical Impairment category, the best score among all girls in the rapid event. Uzbekistan's Aziza Amonova took Silver on 2.5/5, and Durkasri M, who also scored 2.5/5, won Bronze.
Blitz
Boys Under-20: Silver and Bronze
Uzbekistan's Uralbek Normuminov, Sarthak Singh and Nishan Mondal all scored 4/7 in the Boys Under-20 blitz. Tie-breaks decided the medals: Gold for Normuminov, Silver for Sarthak and Bronze for Nishan.
Women: Bronze
After winning the Women's rapid, Russia's Svetlana Lobova took the blitz title too. She scored 6/7. Evgeniya Aganesova finished half a point behind on 5.5/7. Ezhilarasi G scored 4/7 to win Bronze in the Physical Impairment category.
Girls Under-20: Gold and Silver
AFM Sharon Rachel Aby scored 5/7 to finish third overall and first among all girls. Durkasri M was close behind on 4.5/7 and took Silver. Uzbekistan's Azizakhon Iskandarova won Bronze with 2.5/7.
Tournament format:
The tournament is being played in three formats. Both the Rapid and Blitz championships took place on 1 November. The Rapid had five rounds, with each player getting 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move. The Blitz had seven rounds, with 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. The nine-round classical championship will end on 7 November.
This article is based on reports and photos shared from Bishkek by Tamizharasan Murugan, Head of Delegation, Team India, Chess Federation for Physically Disabled - India.
Live games and results on ChessBase India
Important links
Rapid Men and Juniors full standings
