India to Host the Asian Junior Open & Girls Chess Championships 2026 in Mumbai
The All India Chess Federation, under the aegis of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE, is proud to host the Asian Junior Open & Girls Chess Championships 2026. This premier continental event will bring together Asia’s brightest young talents to compete at the prestigious ITC Maratha in Mumbai from August 16th to 26th, 2026
Playing Schedule
The Championships will be played according to the Swiss System of 9 rounds in Standard format and 7 rounds each in Rapid & Blitz formats or round robin for 8-10 players in all formats as below schedule:
Format
The tournament will be played according to the rules of play of FIDE.
3.1 The games shall be played using electronic clocks. The time control is 90 minutes for the whole game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1. Forfeit time is 30 minutes.
3.2. Time control for Rapid Chess is 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move from move 1.
3.3 Time control for Blitz chess is 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move from move 1.
3.4 According to FIDE regulations, players from the same federation may play each other in the last round
Venue
The venue is ITC Maratha in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Eligibility & Direct FIDE Titles
The championship is open to players from federations affiliated with the Asian Chess Federation who must not have reached their 20th birthday before January 1st, 2026 (born on or after January 1, 2006).
Quota: Each country can register one official player per section (Boys and Girls) and an unlimited number of additional players.
Personal Rights: Top 3 finishers from the 2025 Asian Junior Championships and the 2025 Asian U-18 Champions hold personal rights to participate as official players, provided they meet the age criteria.
Indian Players: Eligible Indian players looking to participate should contact the AICF directly at indianchessfed@gmail.com
Direct Titles on Offer
In accordance with the FIDE Handbook, direct titles will be awarded for the Standard Chess discipline (provided a minimum of 5 federations and 10 players compete per category):
Gold Medalists: Awarded a Grandmaster (GM) norm and the International Master (IM) title (or Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm and Woman International Master (WIM) title for the girls' category). Players tying on points with the champion will also receive the IM/WIM title.
Silver & Bronze Medalists: Awarded an IM/WIM norm alongside the FIDE Master (FM) / Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title.
(Note: Direct titles require the applicant to have achieved a minimum FIDE rating at some point: IM 2200, WIM 2000, FM 2100, WFM 1900).
All the details are taken from the official prospectus of the tournament: Here
Important Links
Prospectus, Official Announcement