The 35th National Under-17 Open & Girls Chess Championships 2026 was conducted simultaneously at the Rajpath Club, Ahmedabad, Gujarat from 30th March to 7th April 2026. The tournament was conducted under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and was co-hosted with support from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Sports Authority of Gujarat and GSC Bank. Two separate Swiss-system events were held: U-17 Open (Boys) section and the U-17 Girls section, both over 11 rounds.
The Open section attracted 259 players from across India, making it one of the largest editions of the national U-17 championship. The Girls section had 112 participants. All games were rated for FIDE rating purposes.
FINAL STANDINGS — U-17 OPEN (BOYS)
Top 15 Finishers:
| Rank | SNo | Name | State | Rating | Pts | TB(BH) |
| 1 | 15 | FM Nandish, V S | Tamil Nadu | 2232 | 9.5 | 68.5 |
| 2 | 1 | IM Vaz, Ethan | Goa | 2522 | 9.0 | 77.0 |
| 3 | 5 | FM Madhvendra, Pratap Sharma | Madhya Pradesh | 2353 | 8.5 | 80.0 |
| 4 | 4 | IM Borgaonkar, Akshay | Maharashtra | 2379 | 8.5 | 75.5 |
| 5 | 7 | FM Sharnarthi, Viresh | Maharashtra | 2301 | 8.5 | 74.5 |
| 6 | 12 | Arpith, S Bijoy | Kerala | 2248 | 8.5 | 74.0 |
| 7 | 24 | Badole, Shaunak | Maharashtra | 2176 | 8.5 | 73.5 |
| 8 | 2 | IM Vignesh, Advaith Vemula | Telangana | 2424 | 8.5 | 71.5 |
| 9 | 27 | CM Sherla, Prathamesh | Maharashtra | 2167 | 8.5 | 70.0 |
| 10 | 20 | Vedant, Garg | Chandigarh | 2185 | 8.0 | 72.5 |
| 11 | 31 | Haridev, S | Tamil Nadu | 2146 | 8.0 | 71.5 |
| 12 | 16 | FM Reyan, Md. | Bihar | 2219 | 8.0 | 69.0 |
| 13 | 11 | FM Jaiveer, Mahendru | Maharashtra | 2255 | 8.0 | 67.5 |
| 14 | 9 | FM Samyak, Dharewa | West Bengal | 2279 | 8.0 | 67.0 |
| 15 | 18 | FM Ayaan, Garg | Chandigarh | 2214 | 8.0 | 64.5 |
FINAL STANDINGS — U-17 GIRLS
Top 15 Finishers (based on Round 11 results):
| Rank | Name | State | Rating | Pts | Notes |
| 1 | WFM Pratitee, Bordoloi | Karnataka | 2102 | 9.0 | 69.5 |
| 2 | WFM Saranya, Devi Narahari | Andhrapradesh | 1845 | 8.5 | 73.5 |
| 3 | WCM Anushka, Bapu Kutwal | Maharashtra | 2019 | 8.0 | 73.5 |
| 4 | Bhat, Sannidhi Ramakrishna | Maharashtra | 2042 | 8.0 | 68.5 |
| 5 | WCM Shanmathi, Sree S | Tamil Nadu | 2039 | 8.0 | 68.5 |
| 6 | Rout, Yashita | Odisha | 1925 | 8.0 | 67.0 |
| 7 | Dakshita, Kumawat | Rajasthan | 1941 | 7.5 | 74.5 |
| 8 | WCM Sravyasree, Bheemarasetty | Telangana | 1984 | 7.5 | 71.0 |
| 9 | WCM Kashthuri, Bhai R | Andaman | 1898 | 7.5 | 69.5 |
| 10 | Archita, Agrawal | Rajasthan | 1854 | 7.5 | 68.5 |
| 11 | WCM Kirthika B | Telangana | 1802 | 7.5 | 65.5 |
| 12 | Shreya, G Hipparagi | Karnataka | 1831 | 7.5 | 65.0 |
| 13 | AIM Tripurambika, V | Andhra Pradesh | 1904 | 7.5 | 63.5 |
| 14 | FM Prishita, Gupta | Odisha | 2125 | 7.0 | 73.0 |
| 15 | WFM Nivedita VC | Tamilnadu | 2028 | 7.0 | 71.5 |



CHESS IN SCHOOLS BOOK
28th Asian Youth Chess Championships – 2026 in Shenzhen, China from 15th to 25th July 2026
SNA Seminar & Exam on 16 & 17 May 2026 at Swami Vivekanand International School, Kandivali (West), Mumbai.
Congratulation:-Aronyak Ghosh from West Bengal becomes India’s 95th Chess Grandmaster
Announcement : Medical Evaluation in Ahmedabad , Gujarat from 18th to 21st May, 2026
Historic Triumph: R Vaishali wins Candidates, earns World Championship match against Ju Wenjun,