Top seed IM Srijit Paul claimed victory at The Young Minds Chess Academy's FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2026 with an unbeaten 8.5 out of 9 points. The event, held on February 22, 2026, at Swamy Vivekanand School in Kandivali West, Mumbai, featured 236 participants and a prize fund of ₹200,000. Guru Prakash finished second with 8 points after losing only to Paul.
The tournament, organized by the Young Mind Chess Academy, took place on February 22, 2026, at Swamy Vivekanand School in Kandivali West, Mumbai. It attracted 236 participants and offered a total prize fund of ₹200,000, with the top three prizes being ₹20,000, ₹10,000, and ₹8,000, along with trophies.
IM Srijit Paul, the top seed from West Bengal, secured clear first place with an unbeaten score of 8.5/9 points. This victory marks his first triumph and third podium finish of 2026. Earlier in the year, Paul finished second at the Morde Foundation 2nd All India Open FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament in Pune and third at the Jyoti CNC Rajkot FIDE Rapid 2026.
Entering the final round with a half-point lead, Paul defeated Sannidhi Ramakrishna Bhat to clinch the title. On the second board, Guru Prakash won against Arjun Singh to secure second place with 8/9 points, his only loss coming against Paul.
Jeet Shah and IM Ritviz Parab both scored 7.5/9 points, taking third and fourth positions respectively based on tiebreak scores.
The event was organized by Richa Mishra, who has been running chess tournaments since 2016, including events in the USA and Bangalore. Chess Craft Academy provided operational support, while Circle Chess managed registration.
Photos from the tournament were credited to Richa Mishra/Young Mind Chess Academy.
