Mumbai, August 12: The Maharashtra Chess Association will host the Asian Junior Chess Championship 2026 from August 16 to 26. This prestigious event will see participation from 157 players across 10 countries, including 6 International Masters, 24 FIDE Masters, and several Women FIDE Masters. The announcement was made during a press conference addressed by MCA President Parinay Phuke, Tournament Director Niranjan Godbole, and Organizing Secretary Salil Ghate.
This tournament, showcasing Asia’s top under-20 talent, will feature a classical Swiss format with 9 rounds, alongside 7 rounds of rapid and blitz formats. Under the supervision of the All India Chess Federation, Asian Chess Federation, and FIDE, the championship will take place at the ITC Maratha in Mumbai.
The event is one of the most anticipated among juniors in the country, having produced renowned players such as Viswanathan Anand, Abhijit Kunte, Tejas Bakre (in the men’s category), and Tania Sachdev, Koneru Humpy, Ivana Furtado (in the women’s category).
Winners who are International Masters (IM) will earn a Grandmaster norm, while those who are not IMs will receive an IM norm. A total of 157 players will compete in the classical Swiss format, while 153 players will participate in the rapid event and 151 in the blitz event. The average Elo rating for players in the open section is 2054, while the junior women’s section has an average rating of 1885.
Leading the open list is Indian IM Mayank Chakraborty (Elo 2500), followed by Russian IM Artem Pingin (2477) and Indian IM Apoorva Kamble (2441). In the junior women’s list, Indian WFM Pratiti Bordoloi (2252) is at the top, followed by Kazakhstan’s WFA Maria Kholiavko (2217) and Turkmenistan’s WFM Lala Shohradoeva (2159).
Other talented Indian players include Vignesh Advait Vemula (2405), Aditya Dhingra (2403), and Akshay Borgavkar (2396). Among the women, WFM Swara Lakshmi Nair (2155), Mrittika Mallik (2153), and Sarnya Devi Narhari are expected to perform well.
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RSG
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