Under-12 world champion Divi Bijesh among participants in 39th National Chess Championship in Mangaluru

More than 600 children from 29 States are taking part in the 39th National Under-11 Open and Girls FIDE-rated Chess Championship at the Urwa Indoor Stadium in Mangaluru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath Chess prodigy Divi Bijesh (FIDE rating 2006) of Kerala, who recently claimed the under-12 title at the FIDE World Cup 2026 in Georgia, is among the 600 players from across the country taking part in the 39th National Under-11 Open and Girls FIDE-rated Chess Championship, which began at the Urwa Indoor Stadium in Mangaluru on Sunday. The championship will end on Saturday.The 11-year-old Ms. Bijesh is pitted against Aadhya Deo (FIDE rating 1471) of Tripura in the first round. Among the other top-ranked girls taking part in the championship are Yakshini P. (FIDE rating 1819), who was pitted against Anushka Manoj Kumar (FIDE rating 1471) of Telangana, and woman candidate Nakshatra Gumudavelly (FIDE rating 1816) of Karnataka, who was pitted against Yuktha R. (FIDE rating 1470) of Tamil Nadu. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy and grandmaster Thejkumar M.S. making ceremonial opening moves to inaugurate the 39th National Under-11 Open and Girls FIDE-rated Chess Championship in Mangaluru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath Among the boys, 11-year-old FIDE Master (FM) Advik Amit Agrawal of Maharashtra (FIDE rating 2376) was pitted against 10-year-old Adithya Sreejith (FIDE rating 1532) of Kerala in the first round. Ten-year-old FM Sarbartho Mani (FIDE rating 2273) of West Bengal was pitted against 11-year-old Reyansh Kamerkar (FIDE rating 1532) of Maharashtra, while 11-year-old Nidhish Shyamal (FIDE rating 2219) of Telangana was pitted against 11-year-old Shawn Joy (FIDE rating 1531) of Karnataka.In this classical chess championship, each game lasts about four hours. There are 11 rounds in the tournament. International arbiter (IA) V. Vijayaraghavan has been designated chief arbiter, while IA Ajesh Kumar A. and IA Prashant Raval have been designated deputy arbiters. Live matches on 30 boards each in the boys’ and girls’ sections can be watched every day on chessworld.ai.At the inauguration of the programme, Dakshina Kannada Chess Association president Amarashree Amarnath Shetty said this was the first time Mangaluru was hosting a national-level chess tournament and only the second time Karnataka was hosting such an event.Hoping for more national sporting events in Mangaluru involving national and international-level athletes, Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Capt. Brijesh Chowta called upon participants and their parents to move around the city. “This is the safest and cleanest city in the country. There are a lot of good things about this city. Please spread good words about Mangaluru,” he said.Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said the best minds are taking part in the championship. The event provided an opportunity for players to make a mark at the highest level of chess. Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath also spoke. Additional Deputy Commissioner K. Raju attended the event.The championship was inaugurated with grandmaster Thejkumar M.S. of Karnataka and Mr. Reddy making a few moves on the chessboard. Published - August 02, 2026 08:02 pm IST