Abhimanyu Puranik becomes National Blitz Champion 2026

The first title is always special

Interview with Abhimanyu

Devansh Singh: How does it feel to win this title? If I’m not wrong, this is your first National Championship title.
Abhimanyu Puranik: I’m quite happy because rapid and blitz is generally very random, and it’s harder to win a title. You try to keep control, but there will always be a couple of rounds where it is very hard to predict what will happen. For example, I had a game with Karthikeyan Murali where he lost on time, and then in the next game, I lost on time both in equal positions. So, it’s still very special.

DS: Recently, you won a Blitz event in Mumbai. Does playing regularly help?

AP: Blitz is definitely something where shape is very important. Playing in Mumbai helped me, and I was also playing quite a lot online. Playing regularly is very important.

DS: Are you actively playing online, too?

AP: Yes, online chess is addictive. Whenever you get free time, you can just open your phone and play a couple of bullet or blitz games. You don’t even realise how time passes once you start playing. I don't necessarily play it for practice; it's more just for fun, but I guess it still helps.

DS: How are you going to celebrate this victory?
AP: Unfortunately, I’m leaving for Uzbekistan for the Agzamov Memorial, which starts on the 17th, so I won’t get much time for celebration. But let's see, I will probably go to a nice restaurant or something.

DS: Any suggestions for the readers?
AP: Even in blitz or rapid, it’s important to analyse your games and go through them. See what your instinct is, because in blitz, the first move that pops into your mind is usually what you will play. You have a certain way of approaching positions in your head, so it’s best to constantly keep correcting that approach. I think that really helps.

The National Rapid Championship was organised by the All Jharkhand Chess Association at Sarala Birla University, Mahilong, Ranchi. The total prize fund of the Blitz Championship was ₹2,50,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹50,000, ₹40,000, and ₹30,000.

Abhimanyu Puranik was leading the National Blitz Championships 2026 with a score of 7.5 out of 8. His opponent in round 9 was the very strong grandmaster Karthikeyan Murali, who was on 7 out of 8. This promised to be a very exciting fight as two 2600-plus-rated top Indian GMs were going to play against each other. Check out the action from this game along with commentary by IM Sagar Shah.

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Round 11 Results

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Final Ranking after 11 Rounds

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