Asian Junior Chess Championships to Feature 157 Players

The Asian Junior Chess Championships will be held in Mumbai from August 16 to 26, attracting 157 players from 10 different countries. This event includes six International Masters and 24 FIDE Masters and Women FIDE Masters.

Organized by the Maharashtra Chess Association, the tournament will take place at a five-star hotel in Parel. It will consist of nine rounds of Classical chess, along with seven rounds each of Rapid and Blitz formats. Notably, winners who are already International Masters will earn a Grandmaster norm, while non-IM winners will receive an IM norm.

The Open section is led by Indian IM Mayank Chakraborty, followed by Russia’s IM Artem Pingin and India’s IM Apporv Kamble. Among the women, WFM Pratitee Bordoloi is at the top, with Kazakhstan’s WFA Mariya Kholyavko and Turkmenistan’s WFM Lala Shohradova following. The event has a history of recognizing prominent Indian players, including Viswanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy.