Vignesh Vermula, Saranya Devi Win Asian Junior Blitz Gold

Indian chess players Vignesh Vermula and Saranya Devi have won gold medals in the Open and Girls’sections at the Asian Junior Blitz Chess Championship 2026 in the Mumbai. This tournament was took place on August 17th in the ITC Maratha Sheraton and was organized by the Maharashtra Chess Association. Vignesh Vermula, seeded 23rd in the Open section, became the winner on tie-break scores after having finished on an equal score.

Vignesh Vermula Claims Open Blitz Title

Vignesh Vermula claimed the Open blitz gold medal as he finished on an equal score with other top players and won on tie-break scores.

The 23rd seed of the Indian team won the Open section where Indian players dominated the leading positions.

The top five players of the Open blitz are,

1. 1st: Vignesh Vermula
2. 2nd: Sharnarthi Viresh
3. 3rd: Nandish V S
4. 4th: Akshay Borgaonkar
5. 5th: Madhavendra Pratap Sharma

The result gave India the Open gold medal and several leading positions in the tournament.

Saranya Devi Secures Girls Gold Medal

At the Girls’ blitz, the gold medal was claimed by Saranya Devi.

The ninth-seeded Indian player played strongly tactically during the whole tournament and ended up in the first place.

The podium of the Girls’ section is as follows,

1. 1st: Saranya Devi – Gold
2. 2nd: Prishita Gupta – Silver
3. 3rd: Shanmathi Sree – Bronze
4. 4th: Lala Shohradova —

Lala Shohradova of Turkmenistan, the top seed in the Girls’ section, finished fourth and failed to win a medal.

Asian Junior Chess Championship 2026

The Asian Junior Chess Championship is an event that takes place among young chess players representing different nations within the continent of Asia.

The year 2026 saw the championship taking place in Mumbai, India, whereby there were open and girls’ blitz sections that were played during this event.

The championship took place at the ITC Maratha Sheraton under the auspices of the Maharashtra Chess Association.

The event gave young chess players a chance to play against tough opponents from all over the continent and gain experience in competitive blitz chess.

What Is Blitz Chess?

Blitz chess is a game of chess whereby players have to complete their matches within a set amount of time.

Since decisions have to be made within a limited amount of time, blitz chess gives a lot of attention to tactics, quick thinking and time management.

In case of a draw in points, tie-break points could be considered. The winner of the open section championship, Vermula, emerged victorious by having the same points as other participants.

Asian Junior Chess Championship Inauguration

The Asian Junior Chess Championship was inaugurated in Mumbai by Jayraj Pathak, former Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The championship had separate competitions for Open and Girls’ blitz categories, which involved participation from junior chess players across Asia.

The championship was organized in Mumbai by the Maharashtra Chess Association.