Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni wins PICA Chess Festival Rating Open 2026
CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni, Vikramjit S Singh, Vatsal Singla, GM Anurag Mhamal and IM N Krishna Teja scored 9/11 each at PICA Chess Festival 2026 Rating Open. Chidvilash won the tournament on tie-breaks.
Chidvilash’s eighth overall, first rating tournament triumph of the year
CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni was the sole leader at 9/10, heading into the final round. GM Anurag Mhamal was trailing by a half point at 8.5/10. Chidvilash lost the final round game against Vikramjit S Singh and the latter finished second. However, that did not affect his championship as Chidlvilash still managed to become the champion due to better tie-break scores. Vatsal Singla defeated Satvik Andabatla to claim third place.
The total prize fund was ₹666666. The top three prizes were ₹111111, ₹66666 and ₹33333 along with a trophy and medal each.
Champion – CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni 9/11 | Photo: WGM Pratyusha Bodda
L to R: WGM Pratyusha Bodda, Organizer, 6th CM Kushal O 8.5/11, 4th GM Anurag Mhamal 9/11, 3rd Vatsal Singla 9/11, 1st CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni 9/11, 2nd Vikramjit S Singh 9/11 and 5th IM N Krishna Teja 9/11 | Photo: WGM Pratyusha Bodda
CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni scored 9/11, won the tournament on tie-breaks and gained 38 Elo rating points
The Indian legend, GM Harika Dronavalli made the ceremonial first move with WGM Pratyusha Bodda in presence of Harika’s coach, N Ramaraju | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Lighting of the lamp by GM Harika Dronavalli, N Ramaraju and WGM Pratyusha Bodda | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Players in action at Sri Chaitanya Future Pathways Global School in Hyderabad, Telangana | Photo: Durgarao
Replay all available games
A total of 444 players including a GM and two IMs took part from various parts of the country, one from Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland, and six from the USA. The six-day eleven-round Rating Open tournament was organized by Pratyusha International Chess Academy at Sri Chaitanya Future Pathways School in Hyderabad, Telangana from 9th to 14th August 2026. The time control of the tournament was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment.
Links
Pratyusha International Chess Academy: Official site, instagram and youtube
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