IM Ramanathan Balasubramanian wins the Adyar Times Tournament for the 6th time.
The 24th Edition of the Adyar Times FIDE Rated Open Chess Tournament 2026 was held from October 17 to 20, 2026, at Indoor Stadium, D.B. Jain College, Thoraipakkam, Chennai. This mega tournament was inaugurated by Shri. B Ragupathi, I.P.S, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pallikaranai making the formal first move against Shri. Manuel Aaron, Arjuna Awardee, India’s first International Master in presence of Shri. D.V. Sundar, former Vice President, FIDE, Shri. Stephen Balasamy P, General Secretary, TNSCA, Shri. Srinivasan R, Treasurer, TNSCA & Shri. Paul Arokia Raj S, Chief Arbiter of the tournament.
This tournament is regarded as one of India’s prestigious open chess tournaments, with a long standing history spanning 24 years. Sponsored by Adyar Times, the neighbourhood newspaper and organized by Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, this year’s event has attracted 327 players from four different federations — India, USA, England and South Korea. Participants from 11 states across India added to the tournament’s diversity. The competition also featured one International Master, three FIDE Masters and one Candidate Master, along with 227 FIDE rated players. The presence of experienced players, women competitors and young talents made the tournament an interesting mix of skill, experience and youthful enthusiasm. The tournament was played over eight rounds under the Swiss System. With a prize fund of ₹3,00,000 and special trophies for different age categories, the event provided an excellent opportunity for players of all ages to showcase their talent and compete against strong opponents.
After an intense battle of 8 rounds, IM Ramanathan Balasubramanian of Tamil Nadu emerged as the champion with 7.5 points and carried home Rs. 40000/- along with Champion Trophy. He was followed by FM Ram S Krishnan of BSNL who finished second by 7.5 scoring points. The third place was garnered by C Samaksh Ashok of Karnataka respectively.
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