Mumbai, Aug 18 (IANS) The battle for honours intensified at the Asian Junior Chess Championship 2026 as the Rapid Championships reached the halfway stage after the completion of four rounds at the ITC Maratha Sheraton in Mumbai on Tuesday.
In the Open Rapid Championship, two players have emerged as the early frontrunners. Akhilbay Imangali of Kazakhstan and Madhavendra Pratap Sharma of India are leading the field of 82 players, representing eight nations, with a perfect score of 4 points from 4 rounds. With three rounds remaining, both players have established themselves as strong contenders for the coveted Asian Junior Rapid title.
A closely pursuing group of four Indian players comprising Sharnarthi Viresh, Apoorv Kamble, Arun Kataria and Aditya Dhingra are just half a point behind the leaders with an impressive score of 3.5/4, ensuring that the race for the championship remains wide open.
Adding further intrigue to the contest is a large group of 12 players who are jointly placed next with 3 points.
The Girls Rapid Championship, however, presents a completely contrasting picture. Unlike the Open section, the Girls event has witnessed an extremely closely fought contest with six players sharing the lead on 3.5 points from 4 rounds.
The joint leaders are Rejepova Jahan of Turkmenistan, Nivedita V. C., Sravyashree B., Pratitee Bordoloi, Begmuratova Sarvinoz of Uzbekistan and Akshaya Sathi. Significantly, all six players remain unbeaten after four rounds, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.
A further group of seven players is closely following the leaders with three points, ensuring that the fight for the medals remains completely open. With only three rounds remaining, every half-point is expected to prove crucial in determining the eventual champions and podium finishers.
The championship is being organised by the Maharashtra Chess Association on behalf of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) and has attracted some of Asia’s finest young talents, and the competition is expected to become even more intense as the players enter the business end of the tournament.
–IANS
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