Himalayan Challengers 2026
Open SwissStandard
29 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 11 Jan 2026 to 19 Jan 2026 in Kathmandu, Himalayan Chess Club, Nepal. Top 10 Elo average was 1590, and top seed was Abheek Shah (π³π΅ NEP, 1918).
Abheek Shah (π³π΅ NEP, 1918) won with 9.0/9, ahead of Sajal Neupane (6.5) and Hardik Pant (6.0). Shah won solo starting round 4.
The biggest upset came in round 2: Saatwik Man Tuladhar (1404) beat Rohit Shrestha (1607), a +203-point gap.
Location
π³π΅Kathmandu, Himalayan Chess Club, Nepal
Dates
11 Jan 2026 β 19 Jan 2026
Time control
Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1
System
Swiss Β· 9 rounds
Federations Β· 1 represented
π³π΅NepalΓ27
Top 3
- π₯
- π₯
- π₯
How it unfolded
Top 6 Β· 9 roundsAbheek Shah led from R4; +2.5-point edge over the runner-up.
Co-leaders
15
7
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
R4βR9 Β· LEAD HELD
Abheek Shah never relinquished the lead after R4; final gap +2.5 over the runner-up.
R4 Β· HEAD-TO-HEAD Β· WINNER VS 2ND
Abheek Shah beat Sajal Neupane (White).
WIN STREAKS Β· 2 top finishers
Abheek Shah 9 wins (R1βR9)Sajal Neupane 3 wins (R1βR3)
Key matchups Β· top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Abheek Shah | * | 1 | β | 1 |
| 2Sajal Neupane | 0 | * | β | 0 |
| 3Bimas Lohani | β | β | * | 0 |
| 4Hardik Pant | 0 | 1 | 1 | * |
Grille amΓ©ricaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Ξ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shah, Abheek | 1918 | NEP | +22N | +5B | +10N | +2B | +6N | +9B | +15N | +8B | +3N | 9.0 | 42.5 | 46.0 | 46.00 | 2357 | +30.4 |
| 2 | Neupane, Sajal | 1697 | NEP | +20B | +7N | +8B | β1N | +15B | =5N | +11N | β3B | +6B | 6.5 | 45.5 | 49.5 | 31.75 | 1655 | -10.0 |
| 3 | Pant, Hardik | 1605 | NEP | +25B | +15N | β9B | =7N | =13B | +18N | +4B | +2N | β1B | 6.0 | 44.5 | 47.5 | 28.50 | 1681 | +18.4 |
| 4 | Lohani, Bimas | 0 | NEP | β16B | +12N | +14B | =13N | =7B | +23N | β3N | +17B | +11N | 6.0 | 38.5 | 42.0 | 27.00 | 1531 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Thapa, Aashirwaad | 1481 | NEP | +18B | β1N | +17B | +11N | F | =2B | =6N | =7N | +9B | 5.5 | 44.5 | 48.5 | 26.75 | 1521 | +1.2 |
| 6 | Tuladhar, Saatwik Man | 1404 | NEP | +12B | +16N | β13B | +8N | β1B | +19N | =5B | +10B | β2N | 5.5 | 44.5 | 48.5 | 25.75 | 1587 | +60.0 |
| 7 | KC Prabir | 1441 | NEP | +27B | β2B | +19N | =3B | =4N | +13N | F | =5B | +8N | 5.5 | 41.5 | 44.5 | 25.25 | 1634 | +51.6 |
| 8 | Shrestha, Nihana | 1525 | NEP | +21N | +11B | β2N | β6B | +25N | +17B | +9N | β1N | β7B | 5.0 | 44.5 | 47.5 | 21.00 | 816 | -65.2 |
| 9 | Maharjan, Leon | 0 | NEP | +14B | +24B | +3N | β16N | +10B | β1N | β8B | +18N | β5N | 5.0 | 43.0 | 46.0 | 22.50 | 1589 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Pradhan, Shubhanga | 1491 | NEP | +28B | +17N | β1B | +18N | β9N | β11B | +12B | β6N | +22N | 5.0 | 41.0 | 44.0 | 19.50 | 850 | -27.6 |
| 11 | Rai, Arij | 0 | NEP | +23B | β8N | +?B | β5B | +24N | +10N | β2B | +15N | β4B | 5.0 | 38.5 | 38.5 | 15.50 | 1555 | 0.0 |
| 12 | Shrestha, Ojashwi | 0 | NEP | β6N | β4B | β22N | +28B | +29N | +20B | β10N | +24B | +13N | 5.0 | 34.5 | 35.5 | 15.50 | 1483 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Acharya, Agrata | 1474 | NEP | β17N | +21B | +6N | =4B | =3N | β7B | =25N | +26N | β12B | 4.5 | 39.0 | 42.0 | 20.00 | 1485 | -2.4 |
| 14 | Lama, Iswor | 1551 | NEP | β9N | +29B | β4N | β17B | +21N | =25B | β22N | +27B | +23N | 4.5 | 32.0 | 33.0 | 13.00 | 2280 | +16.0 |
| 15 | Kandel, Ujjivani | 1492 | NEP | +26N | β3B | +29N | +24B | β2N | F | β1B | β11B | +17N | 4.0 | 40.5 | 41.5 | 11.00 | 1488 | -4.0 |
| 16 | Shrestha, Rohit | 1607 | NEP | +4N | β6B | +20N | +9B | F | F | F | +19N | F | 4.0 | 39.5 | 43.5 | 19.00 | 611 | -30.0 |
| 17 | Regmi, Abhik | 0 | NEP | +13B | β10B | β5N | +14N | +23B | β8N | +19B | β4N | β15B | 4.0 | 38.5 | 42.0 | 16.50 | 1453 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Rai, Niwa | 0 | NEP | β5N | +22B | +21N | β10B | +20N | β3B | +24N | β9B | F | 4.0 | 37.0 | 40.0 | 14.50 | 1335 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Maharjan, Reyansh | 0 | NEP | β24N | +23N | β7B | +22B | +?N | β6B | β17N | β16B | +25N | 4.0 | 32.0 | 32.0 | 10.00 | 1358 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Khanal, Reyansh | 0 | NEP | β2N | +27B | β16B | +26N | β18B | β12N | β23B | +?N | +28B | 4.0 | 32.0 | 32.0 | 9.00 | 1360 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Poudel, Riyanshu | 0 | NEP | β8B | β13N | β18B | +27N | β14B | +?N | β28B | +29N | +26B | 4.0 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 7.00 | 1308 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Karki, Saurya Pratap Singh | 0 | NEP | β1B | β18N | +12B | β19N | β26B | +27N | +14B | =23N | β10B | 3.5 | 38.0 | 41.0 | 14.25 | 1522 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Gautam, Biyanka | 1481 | NEP | β11N | β19B | +27N | +29B | β17N | β4B | +20N | =22B | β14B | 3.5 | 34.0 | 35.0 | 9.75 | 750 | -16.0 |
| 24 | Rai, Anmol | 1534 | NEP | +19B | β9N | +25B | β15N | β11B | +26N | β18B | β12N | F | 3.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 | 10.00 | 690 | -22.4 |
| 25 | Magar, Nayuma | 0 | NEP | β3N | +26B | β24N | +?B | β8B | =14N | =13B | β28N | β19B | 3.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 | 7.50 | 1399 | 0.0 |
| 26 | FIDE 12364525 | 0 | β | β15B | β25N | +28N | β20B | +22N | β24B | +29N | β13B | β21N | 3.0 | 29.0 | 30.0 | 7.50 | 708 | 0.0 |
| 27 | FIDE 12369357 | 0 | β | β7N | β20N | β23B | β21B | +28N | β22B | +?B | β14N | +29B | 3.0 | 29.0 | 29.0 | 4.00 | 1281 | 0.0 |
| 28 | Rai, Abhiyan | 0 | NEP | β10N | β?N | β26B | β12N | β27B | +29B | +21N | +25B | β20N | 3.0 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 8.00 | 658 | 0.0 |
| 29 | Saria, Viraaj | 0 | NEP | +?B | β14N | β15B | β23N | β12B | β28N | β26B | β21B | β27N | 1.0 | 30.0 | 30.0 | 0.00 | 1294 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets β the story behind the numbers.
Top rating gainers
- 1Tuladhar, Saatwik ManNEP+60.05.5 pts Β· #5
- 2KC PrabirNEP+51.65.5 pts Β· #7
- 3Shah, AbheekNEP+30.49.0 pts Β· #1
Top rating losers
- 1Shrestha, NihanaNEP-65.25.0 pts Β· #23
- 2Shrestha, RohitNEP-30.04.0 pts Β· #24
- 3Pradhan, ShubhangaNEP-27.65.0 pts Β· #27
Biggest upsets
- R2+203 Elo gap
- R4+121 Elo gap