Upsets mark Day 1 as 11 share top spot at Chess Championship in NIT Jamshedpur

Seraikela-Kharsawan District Chess Championship Begins

Jamshedpur: The 21st District Chess Championship 2026 began on a grand note at NIT Jamshedpur, organized by the Seraikela-Kharsawan District Chess Association. The tournament is held every year in memory of late Suman Kumar Sinha.

A total of 87 players are participating in the championship. The event started with a tribute to the late Sinha, where guests and players offered floral respects. The inauguration was carried out by lighting the ceremonial lamp by Chief Guest Prof. Dr. Gautam Sutradhar along with other dignitaries.

Among those present were Dean of Student Welfare R.P. Singh, Sunil Kumar of Tata Steel Gamharia, Vice President of the association Shailendra Kumar, and Commonwealth and Asian medalist Vatsal Singhania. Former Jharkhand Chess Association President N.K. Singh welcomed the participants and encouraged them to perform well.

Upsets Mark Day One
Three rounds were played on the opening day. In a major upset, Milan Kumar lost to Devjyoti Biswas on Board 1, while Ajay Kumar was defeated by Avkesh Vikram on Board 3.

Tight Contest at the Top
After three rounds, 11 players are tied at the top with three points each, making the competition intense and unpredictable.

The matches are being conducted by Chief Arbiter FA Vikram Kumar, assisted by Aniruddha Sahu and Deepak Kumar. Organizing members including Tapas Kumar Das, Mukund Prasad, and Dheeraj are managing the event smoothly.