Srijit Paul dominates 1st Young Minds Chess Academy Rapid Rating Open 2026

IM Srijit Paul scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 1st Young Minds Chess Academy Rapid Rating Open 2026. Guru Prakash secured second place scoring sole 8/9. Jeet Shah and IM Ritviz Parab scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed third and fourth according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹20000, ₹10000 and ₹8000 along with a trophy each.

Srijit’s first tournament triumph of the year

The top seed of the tournament, IM Srijit Paul was the sole leader 7.5/8, heading into the last round. Arjun Singh, Guru Prakash and Sannidhi Ramakrishna Bhat were trailing by a half point at 7/8 each. Srijit defeated Sannidhi to become a clear champion. Arjun lost to Guru and the latter finished second. Jeet Shah won against Om Gada to claim third place. Sannidhi was the sole female player to make a top ten finish. She scored 7/9 to be placed sixth.

Champion – IM Srijit Paul 8.5/9 | Photo: Richa Mishra/Young Mind Chess Academy

Runner-up – Guru Prakash 8/9 | Photo: Richa Mishra/Young Mind Chess Academy

Second Runner-up – Jeet Shah 7.5/9 | Photo: Richa Mishra/Young Mind Chess Academy

IM Srijit Paul scored an unbeaten 8.5/9, finished a half point ahead of the rest and gained 13 Elo rating points

The tournament hall at Swami Vivekanand International School in Mumbai, Maharashtra | Photo: Richa Mishra/Young Mind Chess Academy

A total of 215 players including three IMs took part from various parts of the country and one from Zambia. The one-day nine-round Rapid Rating Open tournament was organized by The Young Minds Chess Academy at Swami Vivekanand International School in Mumbai, Maharashtra on 22nd February 2026. The time control of the tournament was 10 minutes + 5 seconds increment.

Final standings

Details