13th National Amateur Chess Championships 2026 starts today

The National Amateur Chess Championships are set to commence at Adhiyaman College of Engineering, Hosur, Tamil Nadu from today, 25^th February. The championship is organized under six categories – below 1700, 2000 and 2300 categories for men and women.

A Curtain Raiser

By R Anantharam

A total of approximately 1000 players have registered for the tournament, with the following break-up:

1700 Open	469
2000 Open	158
2300 Open	110
1700 Women	204
2000 Women	34
2300 Women	24

Apart from the bulk of the players hailing from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have confirmed their participation. G Gokul of Tamil Nadu is the highest rated player in the championships and WFM P Bala Kannamma, a former Tamil Nadu women champion has the highest rating among women players.

A notable feature of the event is that the winner of each category will represent India in the Asian and World Amateur Championships.

The tournament will be inaugurated by Dr. M Manickam, President of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association and Chairman, Sakthi Group of Industries, Coimbatore and Mr. D V Sundar, former Vice President of FIDE. Mr. P Stephen Balasamy, Secretary, TNSCA, who has contributed much to the development chess in Tamil Nadu for the past nine years, will be felicitated on this occasion. Mr. Stephen, a former sports officer in Indian Bank proved himself as an excellent administrator and transformed the the level of chess tournament organization to a higher plane.

Adhiyaman College of Engineering is a constant supporter of chess, having organised many National and State championships and international rating tournaments. The tournament is organized by Ananthi Chess Academy, Madurai and Viyugam Chess Academy, Hosur, under the able guidance of P Pragadesh, MBA, Joint Secretary of TNSCA and N Lokesh B.E., Secretary, Krishnagiri District Chess Association.

The championships will be held at the huge indoor stadium of the Adhiyaman College of Engineering, which can easily accommodate around 1500 players.

A view of the huge tournament hall

About the Author

Prof. Rathinam Anantharam is an A-grade international arbiter. Member of the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission, Chairman of the Titles Commission in the All India Chess Federation, Vice President of the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Chief Arbiter for six world championships, many Asian, International, and National Championships.