Hyderabad:Ten-year-old Telangana chess prodigy Candidate Master (CM) Divith Reddy Adulla clinched the open title at the 51st National Sub-Junior Under-15 Chess Championship 2026, held at Subham Convention Centre, Hyderabad, on October 20. The 35th-seeded player, rated 2,086 Elo, emerged champion with 10 points after 11 rounds, edging out S Madhesh Kumar of Puducherry on tie-breaks.

Divith’s fearless, gritty attitude and nerves of steel helped him overcome the challenge in a competitive field. His victory highlighted Telangana’s growing presence in junior chess. He received the prestigious title from All India Chess Federation president Nitin Narang, in the presence of P Malla Reddy, general secretary of the Telangana Olympic Association, and Reddyreddy Laxmi Reddy, president of the Telangana State Chess Association.

Niladri Banerjee of West Bengal finished third with nine points, ahead of Madhvendra Pratap Sharma of Madhya Pradesh, also on nine.

In the girls’ section, Delhi’s Prishita Gupta won the title with 10 points, conceding only two draws. WFM Nivedita V C of Tamil Nadu finished runner-up with nine points, while WFM Maitreyi Mondal took third with 8.5 points. Both champions received ₹90,000 each. AICF head of operations Ajeet Kumar Verma and TSCA secretary A Jayachandra were among those present at the prize distribution. K S Prasad served as tournament director.