GM Sriram Jha wins Bhausaheb Ganesh Deshpande Memorial Rapid Rating 2026
GM Sriram Jha scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the Bhausaheb Ganesh Deshpande (Kodnikar) Memorial Open Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Sriram Jha, Aniket Bapat, Nikhil Dixit, and Sammed Jaykumar Shete, all four players, scored 8/9 points to finish from 1st to 4th place respectively on tiebreaks. This one-day FIDE-rated rapid event was organized by Wizzards Chess Club at Kolhapur, on 15 February 2026, with a total prize of ₹1,50,000. Top 3 prizes were ₹21,000, ₹15,000, and ₹10,000 along with trophies. The tournament held alongside the camp was sponsored by Dhiraj Vaidya, Amol Deshpande, and Suraj Vaidya in memory of their grandfather, Bhausaheb Ganesh Deshpande. Photos: Anish Gandhi
Chess training camp at Wizzards Chess Club
A special chess training camp was organized at Wizzards Chess Club, Kolhapur, on 14th February. The camp was conducted by Grandmaster Sriram Jha and coach Sammed Shete and saw enthusiastic participation from chess players and learners.
A total of 305 players took part in this One-day Fide-rated rapid event, including 1 Grandmaster, 2 International masters, and 1 FIDE Master at Indraprastha Sanskrutik Bhavan, Rajarampuri, Near Lucky Bazar, Kolhapur. The total prize money of the event was ₹1,50,000. The top boards were live, and games can be checked down below. As part of the event hospitality, free lunch was provided to all participants as well as their parents, adding to the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the tournament.
Glimpse of the training camp
The camp was open to all chess enthusiasts and was scheduled in such a way that players participating in the ongoing tournament could also attend the session. A total of 35 participants took part in the camp. After the theory sessions, an interactive question-and-answer session was held where Grandmaster Sriram Jha addressed queries from the participants and provided valuable suggestions for improving their play. Certificates were distributed to all participants at the end of the camp.
The training session lasted for around two and a half hours. Coach Sammed Shete conducted the first one-hour session, sharing important concepts and practical ideas to help players improve their understanding of the game. This was followed by a one-hour session by Grandmaster Sriram Jha, who discussed advanced strategies and guided players on how to approach competitive chess.
Thanks a lot to Mr. Anish Gandhi for sharing the updates
Replay Available games
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
Rk. | SNo | Name | Typ | sex | FED | RtgI | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | GM | IND | 2246 | Delhi | 8 | 55 | 59,5 | 51,75 | |||
2 | 11 | IND | 1848 | Satara | 8 | 54,5 | 59 | 51,25 | ||||
3 | 2 | IM | IND | 2217 | Pune | 8 | 52,5 | 56 | 48 | |||
4 | 3 | IM | IND | 2201 | Kolhapur | 8 | 51 | 52 | 45 | |||
5 | 5 | IND | 2117 | Pune | 7,5 | 52 | 55 | 44,25 | ||||
6 | 9 | IND | 1936 | Pune | 7,5 | 51,5 | 55,5 | 43,75 | ||||
7 | 7 | IND | 2055 | Kolhapur | 7,5 | 49 | 51,5 | 42,75 | ||||
8 | 4 | CM | U16 | IND | 2153 | Pune | 7 | 54,5 | 58,5 | 42,5 | ||
9 | 14 | U12 | IND | 1810 | Kolhapur | 7 | 53 | 58 | 42,5 | |||
10 | 25 | IND | 1719 | Kolhapur | 7 | 52 | 56 | 41 | ||||
11 | 8 | IND | 2045 | Kolhapur | 7 | 52 | 56 | 40 | ||||
12 | 18 | IND | 1770 | Kolhapur | 7 | 51,5 | 56 | 41 | ||||
13 | 6 | FM | IND | 2091 | Pune | 7 | 51,5 | 55,5 | 40,5 | |||
14 | 10 | IND | 1928 | Kolhapur | 7 | 50,5 | 52,5 | 37,5 | ||||
15 | 20 | IND | 1761 | Sangli | 7 | 50 | 54 | 38 |