Apoorv Kamble Wins FIDE-Rated Rapid Chess Tournament

The seventeen-year-old Apoorv Kamble has emerged victorious at the FIDE rated rapid chess championship where he earned a total of 8.5 points from nine rounds. This is all the more remarkable since the city of Bengaluru will be hosting the fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL) from 5th to 13th September. More than 700 players participated in this competition across various age groups and ratings. Interestingly, Apoorv won this championship on the eve of its conclusion as he returned from the Asian Junior Championship at Mumbai.

Kamble Ends On Top Spot

Kamble bagged the trophy after securing 8.5 points in nine rounds. Sammed Jaykumar Shete grabbed the second spot, whereas Vaidyanathan Kannan clinched the third spot.

The tournament was conducted in nine rounds in the Swiss System, with a time control of 10 minutes + 5 seconds increment. The event also carried a total prize money of ₹4 lakh.

Late Decision Yields Positive Result

Kamble mentioned that he had decided to take part in the event just a few days back since he had come back from the Asian Junior Championship held in Mumbai.

Kamble ended up with 8.5 points and mentioned that his confidence level had got a significant boost with the win. He also mentioned two crucial victories against Sameer Shetty and number one seed Vishak Enna.

Active Engagement in Chess in Bengaluru

Over 700 players took part in the tournament, which included Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna who had been coaching reigning World Champion Gukesh D. earlier.

The first move on Board One was played by Gourav Rakshit, the Commissioner of the Global Chess League, before the fifth round.

The tournament itself has been arranged in connection with the Road2GCL program, which seeks to bridge grassroots players, schools, clubs and local chess federations to the Global Chess League.

Global Chess League Season 4 to Be Hosted at Bengaluru

The fourth season of the Global Chess League is set to take place at Bengaluru from September 5 to 13, 2026, and the teams will consist of six international franchises.

Some of the players to participate are World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, chess genius Viswanathan Anand, Arjun Erigaisi, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Levon Aronian, Candidates tournament winner Javokhir Sindarov, Nihal Sarin and current World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, among other names.

It is a collaboration of Tech Mahindra and FIDE and consists of six-player franchises comprising of top-ranking male, female, and prodigy players.