Mumbai : A total of 387 players will compete in the second stage of the SBI Life Maharashtra State Schools Chess Championship 2026, commencing on Friday, November 13, at Rustomjee Cambridge International School, Dahisar (West), Mumbai.
Organised by Indian Chess School, the three-day championship will feature six FIDE-rated categories — Under-9 Open (110 players), Under-9 Girls (56), Under-13 Open (123), Under-13 Girls (45), Under-17 Open (38) and Under-17 Girls (15).
The championship has attracted an impressive 804 player entries across both stages, with 417 players having participated in the first stage, conducted from November 4 to 6.
The Under-9 Open category, featuring 110 players, is headed by Adhvaan Oswal (1724), followed by Ishaan Agnihotri (1618) of Podar International School and Nihansh Khode (1572) of BVM Trimurti Nagar. Aarav Ravi Jhavar (1571) of Jamnabai Narsee School and Ivaan Dubey (1545), winner of the Under-7 Open championship in the first stage, are also among the leading contenders.
In the Under-9 Girls category, featuring 56 players, Gargi Harkare (1568) of Somalwar School, Nikalas, Nagpur, heads the starting list. She is followed by Liyaa Krishnan (1558) of Kanakia International School, who won the Under-7 Girls title in the first stage, and Deedhiti Banerjee (1553) of Hiranandani Foundation School. Ishi Singh (1538) of J. B. Petit High School for Girls and Mirai Sardana (1533) of Jamnabai Narsee School are also expected to provide stiff competition.
The Under-13 Open category has attracted the largest field of 123 players. Nirvaan Nirav Shah (1956) of Don Bosco International School heads the field, followed by Om Dayanand Ramgude (1906) of Lexicon International School, Wagholi, and Vihaan Ravi Rao (1826).
In the Under-13 Girls category, featuring 45 players, leading contenders include Tvesha Ashish Jain (1697) of Greenlawns High School, Ihina Ravi Iyer (1566) of St. Francis School, Borivali, Nishka Agarwal (1562) and Tisyaa Apurva Patt (1524) of Avalon Heights International School. Tvesha had earlier clinched the Under-11 Girls championship in the first stage.
The Under-17 Open category, comprising 38 players, is headed by AIM Arya Amol Bagayatkar (1742), followed by Yuvraj Avadhesh Pratap Singh (1690), Soham Sudarshan Sahamate (1667) and Daiwik Hemant Mehta (1642).
In the Under-17 Girls category, featuring 15 players, Drishya Naik (1713) is the highest-rated player, followed by Heemanshi Tendulkar (1530), Iksha Soni (1528) and Trisha Jagtap (1527).
The championship assumes special significance as it serves as the selection tournament for the National Schools Chess Championship, scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad from December 16 to 20, 2026. The top two finishers in each of the six categories will be selected to represent Maharashtra.
A total cash prize fund of ₹60,000 will be distributed, with ₹10,000 allocated to each category. In addition, the top three finishers in every category will receive glittering SBI Life trophies, while players finishing fourth to tenth will be presented with SBI Life medals.
The seven-round championship will be conducted under the supervision of Chief Arbiter International Arbiter P. B. Bhilare.
The championship is organised by Indian Chess School, with SBI Life as the title sponsor and Rustomjee Cambridge International School as the venue partner.
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