39th National Under-11 Chess Championship begins in Mangaluru
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, Aug 3, 2026: The 39th National Under-11 Open and Girls FIDE-Rated Chess Championship commenced on Sunday at the Urwa Indoor Stadium in Mangaluru. The championship is being organised by the Dakshina Kannada Chess Association (DKCA) in association with the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and the Karnataka State Chess Association, with sponsorship from the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA).
The tournament, which will continue until August 8, was inaugurated by Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta.
Among those present at the inaugural ceremony were Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C.H., Additional Deputy Commissioner Raju K., DKCA President Dr. Amarashree Amarnath Shetty, representatives of sports organisations, sponsoring agencies, and members of the chess fraternity.
More than 600 talented young chess players from various states and Union Territories across the country are participating in the national championship.
Top Seeds Shine on Opening Day
The opening day witnessed strong performances from the top-seeded players in both the Open and Girls categories.
In the Girls’ category, top seed Devi Bijesh of Kerala, second seed Yakshini P. of Tamil Nadu, and third seed Nakshatra Gumudavalli of Karnataka registered convincing victories to take an early lead.
Devi Bijesh defeated Adya Deyo of Tripura.
Yakshini P. overcame Anushka Manoj Kumar of Telangana.
Nakshatra Gumudavalli defeated Yuktha R. of Tamil Nadu.
In the Open category, top seed FIDE Master Advik Amit Agrawal of Pune defeated Aditya Sreejith of Kerala.
Other leading players who began their campaigns with victories included:
Mani Sarbartho (West Bengal)
Shyamal Nidheesh (Telangana)
Oyshik Mondal (West Bengal)
Satvik (Odisha)
Divit Reddy (Telangana)
Shreyansh Das (Karnataka)
Tavish (Tamil Nadu)
Dhyan Patel (Gujarat)
Siddharth (Tamil Nadu)
The championship will feature several rounds over the coming days before concluding on August 8.