Ram Prakash wins 1st Dehradun Open FIDE Rating Rapid 2026
Ram Prakash of Punjab scored an unbeaten 9/10 points to win the 1st Dehradun Open FIDE Rating Rapid Chess Tournament. Krishnan Soni also scored 9/10 points to secure the 2nd place on tie-break scores. Vidit Sethi, Harshit Panwar, and Armaan Singh Bakshi scored 8.5/10 points to secure 3rd to 5th places respectively. The event was successfully organised by Chess Knight Academy in Dehradun from 7th to 8th February 2026 at Touchwood International School, Sahastradhara Road, Dehradun. The total prize money of the tournament was ₹1,00,000, and the top 3 prizes were ₹21,000, ₹15,000, and ₹12,000 along with trophies. Photos: IA Anurag Singh/Chess Knight Academy
Ram Prakash's second-rated triumph of 2026
Ram Prakash is the current Punjab State Amateur Champion. He won the Punjab State Amateur Fide Rated Below-2300 Chess Championship 2025-26 with a perfect score of 8/8 points. Also in Dehradun, he remained undefeated to win the championship with 9/10 points.
Importantly, the tournament has resulted in more than 20 players from Dehradun receiving their first-ever FIDE International Rating, effectively multiplying the total number of internationally rated chess players in the city. Organisers described this as a historic milestone that will accelerate the growth of competitive chess in Uttarakhand and provide local players a pathway to national and international competition without the need to travel outside the state.
The two-day event saw participation from 460 players representing 21 states, including titled players 3 FIDE Masters and 1 Candidate Master, along with 171 internationally rated players competing over 10 Swiss rounds. The tournament served as an official international rating event, allowing unrated players to obtain their first FIDE rating and rated players to improve their international rankings.
The closing ceremony was presided over by Shri Umesh Sharma (Kau), MLA, as Chief Guest, and Shri Abhishek Pant, Councillor, as Guest of Honour. They congratulated the participants and emphasised the importance of intellectual sports like chess in developing analytical ability, patience, and discipline among youth.
A big thanks to Chess Knight Academy and IA Anurag Singh, for providing the details.
Final Ranking after 10 Rounds
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | Typ | sex | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | FM | IND | 2030 | Pb | 9 | 64 | 68 | 60,5 | ||||
2 | 8 | IND | 1972 | DL | 9 | 56,5 | 58 | 51,5 | |||||
3 | 7 | IND | 1976 | Up | 8,5 | 67 | 72,5 | 59,75 | |||||
4 | 1 | FM | IND | 2095 | Hr | 8,5 | 65,5 | 70 | 58,75 | ||||
5 | 10 | IND | 1905 | Ut-D | 8,5 | 60 | 61 | 51 | |||||
6 | 24 | AIM | IND | 1745 | Ut | 8 | 63,5 | 68 | 50,5 | ||||
7 | 6 | CM | S60 | IND | 1996 | Up | 8 | 62,5 | 67 | 52,25 | |||
8 | 2 | IND | 2071 | Dl | 8 | 61 | 64,5 | 49,5 | |||||
9 | 52 | AIM | U11 | IND | 1620 | Up | 8 | 58,5 | 63 | 47 | |||
10 | 13 | IND | 1852 | Dascb | 8 | 58 | 62 | 49 | |||||
11 | 27 | IND | 1721 | Up | 8 | 58 | 61,5 | 45,75 | |||||
12 | 20 | IND | 1776 | Dl | 8 | 54,5 | 58 | 45,5 | |||||
13 | 25 | AFM | IND | 1740 | Hr | 7,5 | 67 | 70 | 49,75 | ||||
14 | 9 | IND | 1964 | Dascb | 7,5 | 65,5 | 70 | 48,75 | |||||
15 | 15 | IND | 1840 | Dascb | 7,5 | 64,5 | 68,5 | 49,75 |