19th AICFB National Chess Championship for the Visually Challenged, 2026

Open SwissStandard

49 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 08 Feb 2026 to 12 Feb 2026 in Bangaluru, India. Top 10 Elo average was 1874, and top seed was Gangolli Kishan (🇮🇳 IND, 2066).

Somendra (🇮🇳 IND, 1873) won with 6.5/9, ahead of Gangolli Kishan (6.5) and Rithvik Marri (6.5). Somendra shared the lead from round 7, winning on tie-break.

The biggest upset came in round 1: Shidad M (1637) beat Aryan B Joshi (1986), a +349-point gap.

Location

🇮🇳Bangaluru, India

Dates

08 Feb 2026 → 12 Feb 2026

Time control

Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1

System

Swiss · 9 rounds

Top seed

🇮🇳Gangolli Kishan2066

Avg top 10

1,874

Participants

Federations · 1 represented

🇮🇳India×49

Top 3

🥇
Somendra
🇮🇳IND·1873
6.5pts·1968perf+23.4
🥈
Gangolli Kishan
🇮🇳IND·2066
6.5pts·1975perf-13.6
🥉
Rithvik Marri
🇮🇳IND·1808
6.5pts·1892perf+41.2

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 9 rounds

Tight race until R9; 5 players tied at 6.5/9, decided on Buchholz. Title race narrowed from 2 co-leaders at R4 to 5 at the finish.

Co-leaders

Kishan6.5Somendra6.5Marri6.5Joshi6.5Kumar6.5Saikrishna6— ex-leaders:Marimuthuled R3, #30

R9 · TIEBREAK CLUSTER

5 players finish on 6.5/9. Somendra takes the title on Buchholz Cut1 (46.0).

R5 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND

Gangolli Kishan drew with Somendra (Black).

R3–R5 · WIN STREAK

Rithvik Marri won 3 in a row (R3–R5).

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1Gangolli Kishan	*	½	½	½
2Somendra	½	*	½	½
3Rithvik Marri	½	½	*	—
4Aryan B Joshi	½	½	—	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Somendra	1873	IND	+19B	=30N	+31B	+8N	=2B	=3N	+18B	=4B	=6N	6.5	46.0	50.5	35.50	1968	+23.4
2	Kishan, Gangolli	2066	IND	+27N	+23B	=17N	+24B	=1N	+6B	=4N	=3B	=7N	6.5	45.5	50.0	34.75	1975	-13.6
3	Rithvik Marri	1808	IND	+40N	−9B	+15N	+32B	+26N	=1B	=6N	=2N	+10B	6.5	44.0	47.0	32.00	1892	+41.2
4	Aryan B Joshi	1986	IND	−32N	+44B	+19N	+41B	+24N	+11B	=2B	=1N	=5B	6.5	41.5	44.0	30.25	1924	-7.4
5	Patra Subhendu Kumar	1862	IND	=34N	=26B	−25N	+36B	+41N	+40B	+9N	+11B	=4N	6.5	37.0	40.0	28.00	1850	+0.2
6	Saikrishna, S. T.	1814	IND	+25B	=43N	=28B	+10N	+17B	−2N	=3B	+18N	=1B	6.0	44.0	46.5	30.00	1882	+15.4
7	Darpan, Inani	1991	IND	+10B	=12N	=30B	=28N	+25B	=18N	=17B	+20N	=2B	6.0	41.5	46.0	30.50	1847	-25.4
8	Makwana, Ashwin K	1794	IND	+15N	+41B	=9N	−1B	=40N	+26B	=23N	+17B	=12N	6.0	40.0	43.0	27.25	1805	+3.0
9	Hariharan Gandhi	1663	IND	+48B	+3N	=8B	−18N	+28B	=12N	−5B	+29N	=15B	5.5	44.0	45.0	25.00	1787	+32.0
10	Rahul Vaghela	1642	IND	−7N	+36B	+49N	−6B	+13N	+24B	=14N	+23B	−3N	5.5	42.0	42.0	20.75	1809	+39.4
11	Samant Milind	1804	IND	+35B	=28N	+43B	=17N	+21B	−4N	=12B	−5N	+27B	5.5	41.0	43.5	23.00	1797	-0.8
12	Swapnil Shah	1726	IND	+36N	=7B	=32N	=25B	+29N	=9B	=11N	=24B	=8B	5.5	40.5	44.0	26.00	1797	+17.2
13	Patil, Shirish	1740	IND	+29B	−20N	+35B	−21N	−10B	+36N	+27N	=22B	+23N	5.5	37.5	41.0	23.00	1696	-10.2
14	Venkat Reddy S	1695	IND	−21B	+45N	=29B	=43N	+35B	=20N	=10B	=16N	+25B	5.5	36.0	38.5	22.00	1691	-0.4
15	Kakade, Atul	1608	IND	−8B	+48N	−3B	+47N	+43B	−17N	+33B	+21N	=9N	5.5	36.0	37.0	16.75	1740	+31.0
16	Singh Surypratap	1569	IND	−23N	−40B	+39N	−27B	+49N	+41B	+19N	=14B	+24N	5.5	33.5	33.5	18.75	1719	+37.6
17	Satya Praksah Shrivastava	1726	IND	+22B	+47N	=2B	=11B	−6N	+15B	=7N	−8N	=20B	5.0	45.5	47.0	23.50	1790	+13.6
18	Rohit Atmaram Jadhav	1739	IND	+39N	=32B	=26N	+9B	+23N	=7B	−1N	−6B	=22N	5.0	42.0	45.5	23.25	1760	+4.4
19	Megha Chakraborty	1635	IND	−1N	+46B	−4B	=22N	+31B	=30N	−16B	+35N	+33B	5.0	40.0	41.5	18.25	1745	+24.4
20	Solanki Pragnesh	1591	IND	+33N	+13B	−24N	−23B	+37N	=14B	+38N	−7B	=17N	5.0	38.5	42.0	21.75	1773	+40.0
21	John Harris Sujin	1576	IND	+14N	−24B	+44N	+13B	−11N	−23B	+40N	−15B	+37N	5.0	37.5	40.0	20.00	1731	+76.4
22	Sam Peniel P	1596	IND	−17N	+27B	−23N	=19B	=44N	+48B	+32N	=13N	=18B	5.0	36.0	37.0	18.50	1703	+25.4
23	Mayank Sharma	1676	IND	+16B	−2N	+22B	+20N	−18B	+21N	=8B	−10N	−13B	4.5	44.0	49.0	23.50	1701	+3.4
24	Marimuthu K	1732	IND	+45B	+21N	+20B	−2N	−4B	−10N	+35B	=12N	−16B	4.5	43.0	45.5	18.75	1708	-9.0
25	Rafik S	1630	IND	−6N	+38B	+5B	=12N	−7N	−27B	+41N	+34B	−14N	4.5	41.5	44.5	19.75	1728	+20.4
26	Patni Aniket Chandrakantbhai	1601	IND	+37B	=5N	=18B	+30N	−3B	−8N	=28B	−27B	+45N	4.5	41.0	43.5	18.50	1727	+29.2
27	Raj Das	1650	IND	−2B	−22N	+46B	+16N	=33B	+25N	−13B	+26N	−11N	4.5	41.0	42.5	18.00	1699	+10.0
28	Ved Neeraj Phaur	1660	IND	+42N	=11B	=6N	=7B	−9N	−38B	=26N	+44B	=30B	4.5	38.5	41.0	18.75	1696	+15.6
29	Shah Saiyam Kamleshbhai	1606	IND	−13N	+33B	=14N	+37N	−12B	=43N	+30B	−9B	=31N	4.5	38.5	41.0	18.25	1701	+23.2
30	Vijay Karia	1710	IND	+46N	=1B	=7N	−26B	=32N	=19B	−29N	+40B	=28N	4.5	38.0	39.5	17.50	1690	-5.4
31	Akediwala Prince D	1677	IND	=44N	+34B	−1N	−40B	−19N	=37B	+48N	+32B	=29B	4.5	33.0	34.0	14.25	1652	-6.0
32	Shidad M	1637	IND	+4B	=18N	=12B	−3N	=30B	=33N	−22B	−31N	+47B	4.0	41.5	43.0	17.50	1668	+6.4
33	Pandya Darshankumar Ratilal	1716	IND	−20B	−29N	+34N	+42B	=27N	=32B	−15N	+38B	−19N	4.0	36.0	39.0	14.75	1566	-35.8
34	Raghu Ram M	1631	IND	=5B	−31N	−33B	−38N	+45B	+46N	+43B	−25N	=35B	4.0	31.5	33.0	11.50	1613	-8.8
35	Rakesh Narwal	1613	IND	−11N	+42B	−13N	+49B	−14N	+44B	−24N	−19B	=34N	3.5	35.5	35.5	7.50	1573	-10.4
36	Amol Sakpal	1594	IND	−12B	−10N	+48B	−5N	+42N	−13B	=37N	F	+38B	3.5	34.0	34.0	9.25	1629	+6.6
37	Krishna, Udupa	1726	IND	−26N	+39B	=40N	−29B	−20B	=31N	=36B	+43N	−21B	3.5	33.5	36.0	11.50	1535	-47.0
38	Arvind (Delhi)	1562	IND	−43B	−25N	=45B	+34B	+39N	+28N	−20B	−33N	−36N	3.5	31.5	34.0	13.25	1553	-2.6
39	Akhilesh K. Srivastava	1603	IND	−18B	−37N	−16B	+46N	−38B	+49N	+42N	−45B	=44N	3.5	27.0	27.0	5.75	1521	-20.6
40	Aakash Vadlakonda	1627	IND	−3B	+16N	=37B	+31N	=8B	−5N	−21B	−30N	F	3.0	42.0	43.0	14.75	1626	-3.6
41	Shivadeepak Kodipaka	1655	IND	+49B	−8N	+47B	−4N	−5B	−16N	−25B	+48N	−42N	3.0	34.5	34.5	2.50	1532	-23.8
42	Tijan Punaram Gawar	1556	IND	−28B	−35N	F	−33N	−36B	+47N	−39B	+46N	+41B	3.0	25.0	25.0	6.00	1517	-9.2
43	Gaurav Kumar	1666	IND	+38N	=6B	−11N	=14B	−15N	=29B	−34N	−37B	F	2.5	38.0	38.0	11.50	1541	-26.6
44	Rahul Sahani	1569	IND	=31B	−4N	−21B	+45N	=22B	−35N	F	−28N	=39B	2.5	35.0	35.0	9.00	1520	-13.0
45	Kiran Kumar A Simpi	1603	IND	−24N	−14B	=38N	−44B	−34N	F	+49B	+39N	−26B	2.5	28.0	28.0	5.25	1473	-27.4
46	Balaji R	1581	IND	−30B	−19N	−27N	−39B	F	−34B	=47N	−42B	+49B	1.5	26.0	26.0	0.75	1341	-95.6
47	Amal Sardar	1449	IND	F	−17B	−41N	−15B	−48N	−42B	=46B	+49N	−32N	1.5	23.0	23.0	0.75	1350	-18.2
48	Kumar Raja C H	1556	IND	−9N	−15B	−36N	F	+47B	−22N	−31B	−41B	F	1.0	31.5	31.5	1.50	1291	-42.8
49	Nemai Das	1519	IND	−41N	F	−10B	−35N	−16B	−39B	−45N	−47B	−46N	0.0	26.5	26.5	0.00	785	-63.2

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1John Harris SujinIND
+76.4
5.0 pts · #21
2Rithvik MarriIND
+41.2
6.5 pts · #3
3Solanki PragneshIND
+40.0
5.0 pts · #17

Top rating losers

1Balaji RIND
-95.6
1.5 pts · #47
2Nemai DasIND
-63.2
0.0 pts · #49
3Krishna, UdupaIND
-47.0
3.5 pts · #38

Biggest upsets

R1+349 Elo gap
Shidad M1637 beat Aryan B Joshi1986
R3+232 Elo gap
Rafik S1630 beat Patra Subhendu Kumar1862
R4+164 Elo gap
John Harris Sujin1576 beat Patil, Shirish1740