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Asian Junior Chess Championships 2026 Bring 157 Players to Mumbai
Chess is a strategy game played by two people on a board.
The Asian Junior Chess Championships is a big competition for chess players under 20 years old.
This year it will be held in Mumbai, a large city in India.
Players from 10 different countries will take part.
In the main event, 157 players will compete.
There are three types of chess: Classical, which is slow and careful; Rapid, which is faster; and Blitz, which is very fast.
The best players can earn special honors called norms toward the Grandmaster and International Master titles.
These titles show that a player is extremely strong at chess.
Many famous champions, like Viswanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy and Tania Sachdev, played in this tournament when they were young.
The competition will last from August 16 to 26.
The Asian Junior Chess Championships 2026 will be held in Mumbai from August 16 to 26, hosted by the Maharashtra Chess Association.
A field of 157 players from 10 countries, including six International Masters and 24 FIDE Masters and Women FIDE Masters, will contest the Classical event.
The tournament features nine rounds of Classical Swiss and seven rounds each of Rapid and Blitz, with 153 players in Rapid and 151 in Blitz.
Winners who are already International Masters will earn a Grandmaster norm, while non-IM winners will earn an International Master norm.
India's IM Mayank Chakraborty (Elo 2500) tops the open field ahead of Russia's Artem Pingin and India's Apoorv Kamble, while India's WFM Pratitee Bordoloi (2252) leads the junior women's field.
- Who
- Asia's top Under-20 chess players, including India's IM Mayank Chakraborty and WFM Pratitee Bordoloi, plus players from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
- What
- The Asian Junior Chess Championships 2026, featuring Classical, Rapid and Blitz events with Grandmaster and International Master norms on offer.
- Where
- ITC Maratha in Mumbai, India, hosted by the Maharashtra Chess Association.
- When
- August 16 to 26, 2026.
- Why
- To crown Asia's best junior chess players and give young talents a platform to earn Grandmaster and International Master norms.
Key facts
- Event
- Asian Junior Chess Championships 2026
- Dates
- August 16-26, 2026
- Location
- ITC Maratha, Mumbai, India
- Participants
- 157 players from 10 countries (Classical); 153 in Rapid; 151 in Blitz
- Formats
- Nine rounds Classical Swiss; seven rounds each of Rapid and Blitz
- Norms
- Grandmaster norm for IM winners; International Master norm for non-IM winners
- Top Open Seed
- IM Mayank Chakraborty (India, Elo 2500)
- Top Women's Seed
- WFM Pratitee Bordoloi (India, Elo 2252)
Sources
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