JAMMU, NOVEMBER 5: The VCA 8th Open Khelo Jammu Chess Diwali Cup 2026 commenced at Vivek Chess Academy (VCA), Jammu, with 26 players, including four rated players, participating in the tournament. Organised by Vivek Chess Academy, the Classical Chess Tournament is being played with a time control of one hour plus a 30-second increment per move for each player.
At the conclusion of the first day's proceedings, Surinder, Mitansh, Aadvik, Gaurav, Prajanya, Divyansh, Bhargavi and Anahita were leading in their respective categories.
The tournament is sponsored by Meenal Gupta, President of the All J&K Chess Association, who herself learned chess at Vivek Chess Academy from 2012 to 2019.
A special highlight of the tournament was the participation of Devanshu, a visually impaired chess player. He competed using specialised adaptive equipment to understand the board position and announce his moves, while an assistant helped move the pieces on the board. His participation highlighted the inclusive spirit of the tournament and demonstrated how chess can provide opportunities for players with visual impairments.
In the opening round, Mitansh defeated Rithysh, Keshav defeated Banaj, Surinder defeated Manushree, and Devanshu registered a victory over Naisha. Prajanya defeated Aditya, Rajdeep overcame Anahita, Triyam defeated Bhargavi, Avni defeated Rudraksh, and Aryaveer defeated Ruby. Aadvik and Gaurav played out a draw, while Aarav and Agastya received bye points.
In the second round, Mitansh continued his winning run by defeating Aryaveer, while Surinder defeated Avni. Deyanshu overcame Keshav, Divyansh defeated Ruby, and Agastya registered a win against Triyam. Aadvik defeated Rajdeep, Gaurav overcame Banaj, Aarav defeated Prajanya, Aditya defeated Naisha, and Triyansh defeated Manushree. Rudraksh and Rithysh played out a draw, while Bhargavi and Anahita received bye points.
The third round witnessed Mitansh defeating Devanshu, while Surinder secured a victory over Aarav. Aadvik defeated Agastya, Avni overcame Triyansh, and Gaurav defeated Aditya. Prajanya registered a win against Bhargavi, while Manushree defeated Rithysh. Divyansh defeated Triyam, Keshav overcame Anahita, Naisha defeated Ruby, Banaj defeated Pearl, Rudraksh defeated Raesha, and Rajdeep secured a victory over Aryaveer.
Amrita Gupta served as the Chief Arbiter of the tournament, while Stuti Gupta was the Deputy Chief Arbiter. The tournament is being conducted using Swiss System pairing software, which is widely used in national and international classical chess competitions to ensure systematic and fair pairings.
Speaking about the tournament, Vivek Bharti, Director of Vivek Chess Academy, highlighted the importance of providing young chess players with competitive opportunities and encouraging greater participation in the sport. The event aims to promote chess talent, nurture emerging players and provide a competitive platform for chess enthusiasts in Jammu.
