Quick Summary

  • India’s 2026 chess calendar has over 70 FIDE-rated tournaments scheduled between May and December 2026, plus the full set of AICF national age-group championships from June 2026 to January 2027.
  • The National Under-7 opens the youth season in Nagpur on 30 June 2026. The senior National Championship closes the year in Uttar Pradesh from 28 December 2026 to 07 January 2027.
  • Major international opens to watch include the 17th KIIT International Festival in Bhubaneswar, the 4th Gujarat International Grandmaster Open in Ahmedabad, and the 9th 360 ONE Global Chess Festival in Mumbai.

Upcoming National and Major AICF Tournaments 2026 to 2027

Tournament NameHost City and StateEligibilityDates
National Under-7 Open and GirlsNagpur, MaharashtraQualified Under-730 June to 04 July 2026
National Under-9 Open and GirlsJharkhandQualified Under-906 to 12 July 2026
National Under-11 Open and GirlsMangalore, KarnatakaQualified Under-1102 to 08 August 2026
National Under-13 Open and GirlsPondicherryQualified Under-1303 to 09 September 2026
National Under-15 Open and GirlsPunjabQualified Under-1514 to 22 September 2026
National Under-17 Open and GirlsJammu and KashmirQualified Under-1728 September to 06 October 2026
3rd National School Team Chess (Under-12 and Under-18)Andhra PradeshSchool teams10 to 12 October 2026
National Under-19 Open and GirlsWest BengalQualified Under-1927 October to 04 November 2026
National Women Chess ChampionshipTelanganaQualified Women18 to 28 November 2026
National Amateur Chess ChampionshipAssamQualified Amateurs02 to 06 December 2026
National Rapid and Blitz Championship (Finale)Tamil NaduQualified Players12 to 14 December 2026
National School Chess ChampionshipGujaratSchool qualifiers17 to 21 December 2026
National Championship (All India Premier)Uttar PradeshQualified Seniors28 December 2026 to 07 January 2027
National Team Chess ChampionshipHaryanaState and PSU teams12 to 18 January 2027

Note on TBA events: The CBSE National Chess Championship 2026, the Khelo India National School Games 2026 (Chess), and the Mumbai Mayor’s Cup Open 2026 are expected later in the year. Final dates have not been published on the AICF or Ministry of Youth Affairs circulars yet. Check back here closer to the date.

Completed FIDE-Rated Tournaments (April to Early May 2026)

These events have already finished. Final results and rating updates are on the FIDE rated tournaments page for India.

Tournament NameFIDE CodeDatesPlaceStatus
Eight Square Chess Academy 2nd International FIDE Rated Open46105601 to 05 April 2026Chennai, Tamil NaduCompleted
North 24 Parganas District FIDE Rapid Rating47227804 to 05 April 2026West BengalCompleted
Sarguja Cup All India Open FIDE Rated46745410 to 13 April 2026Ambikapur, ChhattisgarhCompleted
12th BBCF International Below 1700 FIDE Rated44509412 to 14 April 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
Tamil Nadu State Under-17 Open and Girls47217515 to 18 April 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
Karnataka State Under-11 FIDE Rating47185817 to 19 April 2026Mangalore, KarnatakaCompleted
4th Unity Club All India FIDE Open Rapid Rating46688318 to 19 April 2026GoaCompleted
3rd JKs ECA All India Open FIDE Rapid Rating466901April 2026Pune, MaharashtraCompleted
1st LNJ Bhilwara International FIDE Rapid Rating46838119 April 2026Hurda, RajasthanCompleted
Shakti Grandeur 9.0 International Open FIDE Rating46550420 to 24 April 2026GujaratCompleted
UP State Under-17 Chess Championship46862822 to 25 April 2026Uttar PradeshCompleted
2nd Dhiraj Singh Raghuvanshi Memorial FIDE Rating46689322 to 26 April 2026Rudrapur, UttarakhandCompleted
9th CHESSMII International Open FIDE Rated46981922 to 26 April 2026KeralaCompleted
Warrior Chess Academy Below 1650 FIDE Rated45221325 to 27 April 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
2nd Pune International Speed Festival Rapid46145025 to 26 April 2026Pune, MaharashtraCompleted
ICC International FIDE Rapid Rating Open (5th Edition)45726426 April 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
UP State Under-19 Chess Championship46863126 to 29 April 2026Uttar PradeshCompleted
5th KPK International FIDE Rating Open47359429 April to 03 May 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
SRM 2nd International FIDE Rating Open45523430 April to 03 May 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
Akshayakalpa Karnataka State Chess Championship46882330 April to 03 May 2026KarnatakaCompleted
Hyderabad All India Open FIDE Rating45560830 April to 04 May 2026Hyderabad, TelanganaCompleted
Mary Cherian Memorial International FIDE Rated46743802 to 03 May 2026DelhiCompleted
2nd Dehradun Open FIDE Rapid Rating46881302 to 03 May 2026Dehradun, UttarakhandCompleted
63rd Kerala State Open FIDE Rated Championship46363003 to 06 May 2026KeralaCompleted (Winner: FM John Veny Akkarakaran)
2nd Ramabai Ranade FIDE Classical Rating46446704 to 09 May 2026Navi Mumbai, MaharashtraCompleted
1st Sri Krish International FIDE Rating47198304 to 08 May 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
Ten Ten Chess Academy 1st International FIDE Rated45562406 to 10 May 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
1st RCA International FIDE Rating45677506 to 10 May 2026Tamil NaduCompleted
Sri Krish International Below 1600 FIDE Rating47198409 to 11 May 2026Tamil NaduCompleted

Upcoming FIDE-Rated Open and Regional Tournaments (15 May 2026 onwards)

Sorted by start date. All FIDE event codes are listed on the official FIDE India rated tournaments page.

Tournament NameFIDE CodeStart DateEnd DatePlaceFormat
SXCCAA Chess Tournament 202647228816-05-202618-05-2026Kolkata, West BengalClassical
4th HDCA All India FIDE Rating Classical47236416-05-202620-05-2026Hazaribagh, JharkhandClassical
Rajasthan State Senior Selection FIDE Rating47197016-05-202620-05-2026RajasthanClassical
1st Power Chess Academy All India Open FIDE Rapid47227917-05-202617-05-2026Washim, MaharashtraRapid
2nd WMA Invitational Rapid Chess Tournament47575917-05-202617-05-2026Guwahati, AssamRapid
Shri Dhanpat Rai Sachdeva Memorial Classical44674117-05-202621-05-2026DelhiClassical
LBHM Chess Festival 2026 20th Late Bharatbai Halkude Memorial46263218-05-202622-05-2026MaharashtraClassical
Annai Arul 2nd International FIDE Rated Classical45485620-05-202624-05-2026Chennai, Tamil NaduClassical
Tamil Nadu State Under-13 Open FIDE Rated46745620-05-202624-05-2026Tamil NaduClassical
Tamil Nadu State Under-13 Girls FIDE Rated46745720-05-202624-05-2026Tamil NaduClassical
35th CUSAT FIDE Rated Tournament46588621-05-202624-05-2026Cochin, KeralaClassical
All India FIDE Rating Below 1800 Classical47236521-05-202624-05-2026Hazaribagh, JharkhandClassical
LBHM Chess Festival 2026 22nd Blitz46263422-05-202622-05-2026Pune, MaharashtraBlitz
Shri Dhanpat Rai Sachdeva Memorial Below 1800 Classical44674222-05-202624-05-2026DelhiClassical
LBHM Chess Festival 2026 23rd Rapid46263523-05-202623-05-2026Pune, MaharashtraRapid
17th KIIT International Chess Festival Category A47266923-05-202630-05-2026Bhubaneswar, OdishaClassical (1900+)
17th KIIT International Chess Festival Category B47267023-05-202626-05-2026Bhubaneswar, OdishaClassical (Below 1900)
17th KIIT International Chess Festival Category D Blitz47267224-05-202624-05-2026Bhubaneswar, OdishaBlitz
Eight Square Chess Academy 3rd International Rapid47786324-05-202624-05-2026Chennai, Tamil NaduRapid
LBHM Chess Festival 2026 21st Below 180046263624-05-202626-05-2026Pune, MaharashtraClassical
United Educational Institution CDCA 3rd International Open47763326-05-202630-05-2026Coimbatore, Tamil NaduClassical
17th KIIT International Chess Festival Category C47267127-05-202630-05-2026Bhubaneswar, OdishaClassical (Below 1700)
17th KIIT International Chess Festival Category E Blitz47267327-05-202627-05-2026Bhubaneswar, OdishaBlitz
All India Open Motilalji Firodiya Classical FIDE Rating46362727-05-202631-05-2026Ahmednagar, MaharashtraClassical
GH Raisoni Memorial All India Open FIDE Rated Rapid48052030-05-202631-05-2026Ambikapur, ChhattisgarhRapid
Vihang Kulkarni Foundation One Day Rapid Rating47228231-05-202631-05-2026MaharashtraRapid
International FIDE Rated Open Chess Tournament47135801-06-202605-06-2026Andhra PradeshClassical
4th Gujarat International Open Grandmasters Category A47685601-06-202608-06-2026Ahmedabad, GujaratClassical (Category A)
4th Gujarat International Open Grandmasters Category B47685701-06-202604-06-2026Ahmedabad, GujaratClassical (Category B)
1st KCA International FIDE Rating Open46882903-06-202607-06-2026OdishaClassical
Sooriya Chess Academy 1st International FIDE Rated Open46588703-06-202607-06-2026Tamil NaduClassical
h2e Power Maharashtra State Selection Under-13 Open47648105-06-202607-06-2026Pune, MaharashtraClassical
h2e Power Maharashtra State Selection Under-13 Girls47648205-06-202607-06-2026Pune, MaharashtraClassical
4th Gujarat International Open Grandmasters Category C47685805-06-202608-06-2026Ahmedabad, GujaratClassical (Category C)
International FIDE Rated Below 1800 Open47135906-06-202608-06-2026Andhra PradeshClassical
19th GH Raisoni Memorial International Open FIDE Rating47128307-06-202612-06-2026Nagpur, MaharashtraClassical
1st Chengalpattu International FIDE Rated Open45250010-06-202614-06-2026Tamil NaduClassical
360 ONE Masters Chess Tournament Category A47582010-06-202618-06-2026Mumbai, MaharashtraClassical (Masters)
360 ONE Challengers Chess Tournament Category B47586310-06-202618-06-2026Mumbai, MaharashtraClassical (Challengers)
360 ONE Junior Masters Chess Tournament Category C47582610-06-202618-06-2026Mumbai, MaharashtraClassical (Junior Masters)
6th IS International Below 1700 FIDE Rated46785812-06-202614-06-2026Cuttack, OdishaClassical
1st Rangamati FIDE Rapid Rating46785913-06-202614-06-2026Santiniketan, West BengalRapid
19th GH Raisoni Memorial International FIDE Rapid Rating47128813-06-202614-06-2026MaharashtraRapid
1st Rangamati FIDE Rapid Blitz Rating46786014-06-202614-06-2026Santiniketan, West BengalBlitz
MEPCO Sports Academy 1st International FIDE Rated Open47243617-06-202621-06-2026Tamil NaduClassical
CFPD 3rd International FIDE Rating Below 170047184826-06-202628-06-2026Tamil NaduClassical
Hyderabad All India Open Below 1700 FIDE Rating45561026-06-202628-06-2026Hyderabad, TelanganaClassical
RV Chess Academy 2nd International Below 180045485726-06-202628-06-2026Chennai, Tamil NaduClassical
Dollar City 2nd International Below 1800 FIDE Rated47228526-06-202628-06-2026Tirupur, Tamil NaduClassical
Ten Ten Chess Academy 1st International Below 170045562526-06-202628-06-2026Tamil NaduClassical
1st Tirth Chess Club Below 1800 FIDE Rating46550526-06-202628-06-2026Rajkot, GujaratClassical
39th National Under-7 Open and Girls Championship48052230-06-202604-07-2026Nagpur, MaharashtraClassical
Eight Square Chess Academy 2nd International Below 165046124503-07-202605-07-2026Chennai, Tamil NaduClassical
8th Ayodhana International FIDE Rating43866408-07-202612-07-2026AssamClassical
1st Dhiraj Singh Raghuvanshi Memorial Below 190046690409-07-202612-07-2026Rudrapur, UttarakhandClassical
International FIDE Open Below 180046023510-07-202612-07-2026Srikakulam, Andhra PradeshClassical
West Bengal State Under-17 Open FIDE Rated47136116-07-202619-07-2026Jalpaiguri, West BengalClassical
West Bengal State Under-17 Girls FIDE Rated47136216-07-202619-07-2026Jalpaiguri, West BengalClassical
6th KPK International FIDE Rating Below 180047359517-07-202619-07-2026Tamil NaduClassical
1st RCA International FIDE Rating Below 180045677617-07-202619-07-2026Tamil NaduClassical
All India Below 1700 3rd Narendaraji Firodiya Classical46362817-07-202619-07-2026MaharashtraClassical
76th Tamil Nadu State FIDE Rated Championship47611022-07-202626-07-2026Cuddalore, Tamil NaduClassical
6th KHANNUR 36th RCC International Below 1800 Classical46183624-07-202626-07-2026Mangalore, KarnatakaClassical
UEI and CDCA 4th International FIDE Rated Below 180047780931-07-202602-08-2026Coimbatore, Tamil NaduClassical
National Under-11 Open and Girls Championship 202647371502-08-202608-08-2026Mangalore, KarnatakaClassical
2nd Siliguri SCGC International FIDE Rated Classical46588411-08-202616-08-2026Siliguri, West BengalClassical
Pudukkottai FIDE Rating Below 170047646814-08-202616-08-2026Tamil NaduClassical
Sooriya Chess Academy 1st International Below 180046588828-08-202630-08-2026Tamil NaduClassical
V V Balaram Memorial Open FIDE Rated46225528-08-202631-08-2026Kannur, KeralaClassical
6th GH Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Below 1700 International47128504-09-202606-09-2026Nagpur, MaharashtraClassical
Playu 2nd International FIDE Rated Classical Open47184510-09-202614-09-2026Tamil NaduClassical
Shri Dhanpat Rai Sachdeva Memorial International Rapid47674126-09-202627-09-2026DelhiRapid
Shri Dhanpat Rai Sachdeva Memorial International Blitz47674227-09-202627-09-2026DelhiBlitz
ICC Republic Day Celebration International Open43762301-10-202604-10-2026Coimbatore, Tamil NaduClassical
Playu Below 1800 International FIDE Rated Open47184602-10-202604-10-2026Tamil NaduClassical
3rd Bhilwara International Open FIDE Classical47184925-12-202630-12-2026Bhilwara, RajasthanClassical
1st Bhilwara International Open FIDE Rapid Rating47185026-12-202627-12-2026Bhilwara, RajasthanRapid

Major International Opens to Watch in 2026

A short note on the three big international events all running back to back in mid-2026.

The 17th KIIT International Chess Festival in Bhubaneswar (23 to 30 May 2026) opens the international circuit. It has five categories splitting players by rating, including dedicated below 1700 and below 1900 sections that are friendly to club-level players.

The 4th Gujarat International Open Grandmasters Tournament in Ahmedabad (01 to 08 June 2026) follows next, with three rating categories that pull in titled players from across Asia.

The 9th edition of the 360 ONE Global Chess Festival in Mumbai (10 to 18 June 2026) brings the run to a close. The venue is the World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade, and the total prize fund is around 60 lakh rupees. The Masters section is restricted to players with a classical rating of 2400 or above in the last two years.

Together these three events offer a rare chance for Indian children at higher rating levels to test themselves against visiting international titled players without traveling abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions

You register through the official AICF Player Registration System at https://prs.aicf.in/entry. Your child needs an active AICF player ID for the current year. Log in to PRS, search for the tournament, enter the player ID, and pay the entry fee online.

If your child does not have a player ID yet, register first at https://prs.aicf.in/new-register and keep a copy of the birth certificate ready.

AICF uses a calendar-year cut-off for all youth events. Eligibility depends on your child's birth year, not their actual age on tournament day. For example, the Under-9 category in 2026 is open to players born in 2017 or later.

You will need to upload a municipal birth certificate. In some cases AICF also runs medical bone-age checks to confirm the correct age. This is part of a wider rule from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

No, not for most events. Open FIDE-rated tournaments accept unrated players. Your child can earn their first FIDE rating by playing against rated opponents in any open.

But pay close attention to "Below 1600" or "Below 1800" tournaments. These are restricted by published FIDE rating. If your child's official rating is above that limit, they cannot enter. Unrated players are usually allowed in these capped events.

Open tournaments accept any player regardless of age, gender, or rating. Your 8-year-old child could be paired against an adult player.

FIDE-rated tournaments report results to the world chess body. Every game your child plays will affect their official Elo rating.

School tournaments like the CBSE National Chess Championship and the Khelo India events are limited to players who qualify through their school. They usually do not affect FIDE rating.

Online practice is great for tactics, openings, and quick decision making. It builds pattern recognition fast. But over-the-board play is different. Your child needs to handle a real chess clock, write moves on a paper scoresheet, and stay focused for hours without any screen prompts.

A good online program includes regular practice with a physical board and a clock. At Kingdom of Chess, every student practices on a physical board with a coach before their first tournament. This makes the move from screen to real board much smoother.

For more on rating progression and how kids build up to their first tournament, see our guide on how long it takes to reach each chess rating level.

Sources

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