Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Jan: Dehradun is set to mark a significant milestone in its sporting journey with the announcement of the Dehradun Open – FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2026, scheduled to be held on 7 and 8 February 2026 at Touchwood School, Sahastradhara Road, here.
This will be one of the largest and most competitive FIDE-rated rapid chess event ever organised in the city.
The tournament will be conducted under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and will carry official FIDE rating status, providing players from Dehradun and across India an opportunity to earn international ratings while competing on home ground.
Organised by Chess Knight Academy (CKA) in association with co-organiser Touchwood School, the event reflects the rapid growth of Dehradun as a serious chess hub. Over the past few years, the city has emerged as a breeding ground for strong junior and senior players, supported by structured coaching, regular tournaments, and increasing participation at state and national levels.
With a prize fund of Rs 1,00,000, the tournament is expected to attract a strong field of rated and unrated players, including emerging juniors, seasoned professionals, and chess enthusiasts from multiple states. The event will follow FIDE Laws of Chess, with 10 rounds of rapid format, ensuring high-quality competitive play.
The tournament has already received an overwhelming response, with 180+ players registered so far from 12 different states. The current entry list features a multiple 2000+ and 1900+ rated players, and several titled players including CM, AFM, AIM, and ACM. A strong presence of Uttarakhand and Dehradun-based players, alongside highly promising U9, U11, and U13 juniors, underlines the growing competitive depth of chess in the region.
Chess Knight Academy has already successfully hosted over 40 chess tournaments in Dehradun over the last five years, consistently working at the grassroots level. This FIDE-rated event is being seen as the natural progression of that effort and is expected to create a significant number of new FIDE-rated (international-level) players from Dehradun and Uttarakhand.
The responsibility of Tournament Director for the event is being managed by IA Anurag
Singh, a FIDE International Arbiter and FIDE Lead School Chess Instructor, placing him among a select few professionals in India qualified to design and implement Chess-in- Schools programs. He is also a former coach of the Gold Medal-winning Indian University team at the Asian Championship and a FIDE-rated player.
