Nagpur to Host 39th National Under-7 Open & Girls Chess Championships 2026

Nagpur, 29th June 2026: India’s Youngest Prodigies Descend on the Orange City NAGPUR, INDIA — The stage is set for the future grandmasters of Indian chess to battle it out as Nagpur prepares to host the prestigious 39th National Under-7 Open & Girls Chess Championships 2026. Scheduled from 30th June to 4th July 2026, this marquee age-group tournament is being organized by the Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA) and the Chess Association Nagpur (CAN) in association with G.H.Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).

The high-stakes event will be held at the state-of-the-art campus of the GH Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology (GHRIET), Shraddha Park, Wadi-Hingna Link Road, MIDC, Nagpur, and features a total prize fund of ₹5,00,000. The event shall be inaugurated at the hands of GM Divya Deshmukh, Chess World Cup Winner and Chess Celebrity of Nagpur City. A Massive Gathering of Young Talent This year’s championships have drawn a highly competitive pool of India’s youngest chess prodigies.

Over 400 emerging players representing more than 20 states and union territories from across the country will showcase their mental fortitude over 9 rounds under the classic Swiss System. The matches will follow standard FIDE time control: 90 minutes per player with a 30-second increment from move one.

A total of 76 players are representing Maharashtra. Top Seeds Ready to Lead the Pack The battle at the top tables features exceptionally high-rated sub-junior players who have already made their mark on the national rating circuits:

Open Section Top Seeds: The Open field is spearheaded by Lavik Ram Vislavath of Telangana, entering as the tournament’s top seed with an impressive FIDE rating of 1591. He is followed closely by B Bhat Sathwik of Karnataka (1582), Dharmik Panchakatla of Andhra Pradesh (1563), and Shivansh Basu of West Bengal (1562).

There are 47 players of Host State Maharashtra with Aksh Shrivastava (1554) leading the challenge as the 5th seed. • Girls Section Top Seeds: The Girls category is led by top-seeded Udhriti Bhattacharya of West Bengal with a formidable FIDE rating of 1529. Following her are Aarini Lahoty of Delhi (1525) and Aaditri Majumdar of West Bengal (1521). 29 Players from host Maharashtra State are participating in the Girls Group with Ns Liyaa Krishnan(1433) spearheading the Maharashtra Challenge in the Championship who is seeded 8th in the list.

Stepping Stone to World and Asian Stages Historically, the Under-7 Nationals have served as the ultimate launching pad for global stardom. Beyond the cash prizes and national trophies, the stakes are incredibly high: the top finishers in both categories will earn the coveted honor of officially representing India at the World Under-7 and Asian Under-8 Chess Championships later this year.

The event kicks off with the technical meeting and Round 1 on Tuesday, 30th June 2026, and will conclude with a grand prize distribution ceremony on Saturday, 4th July 2026.

The press conference was attended by: Niranjan Godbole – Hon. Gen. Secretary of Maharashtra Chess Association, IA P Palaniappan – Deputy Chief Arbiter of the Championships, Bhushan Sriwas – Organising Secretary, Dr. Mrunal Naik – Director Projects and Amit Gandhare – Director Public Relations, Raisoni Group, SS Soman, Vilas Mhatre, Ninant Pednekar, IA Pravin Thakare – all organising committee members.