The Goa State Selection U-15 Open & Girls FIDE Rating Chess Championship 2026 commenced with the first day of competition, witnessing exciting intense battles across both categories at BPS Club, Margao.
In the Open category after 3 rounds, several notable performances were recorded. On Board 1, Sai Prabhakaran R (1675) of Tiswadi held top seed Joshua Mark Telles (1975) of Salcete to a hard-fought draw. Board 2 witnessed Rajveer Patil (1922) of Mormugao drawing with Erwin Albuquerque (1671) of Mormugao, while on Board 3, Rhys Dominic Carvalho (1612) of Mormugao successfully drew against higher-seeded Shubh Vishnu Borkar (1828) of Salcete. On Board 4, Saras Summer Powar (1802) of Salcete emerged victorious over Aryan Naik (1601) of Salcete, remaining in joint lead with 3 points. Board 5 saw Aaryavrat Rasiket Naik Desai (1759) of Canacona defeat Ethan Mathew Silveira (1569) of Tiswadi, also securing 3 points.
Currently, the joint leaders in the Open Category, each with 3 points, include Saras Summer Powar, Aaryavrat Rasiket Naik Desai, Rishit Gawas (Mormugao), Satyam Phal (Salcete), and Aarav Chopdekar (Mormugao).
In the Girls category, Vaishnavi Vijay Parab, Asmi Amit Terse, and Alaina Gomes share the top spot with 3 points each after three rounds. On Board 1, Pavitra Mahantesh Lingsugur (1492) of Mormugao held top seed Saeeja Gunesh Dessai (1650) of Salcete to a draw. Board 2 saw Vaishnavi Vijay Parab (1632) of Pernem outwit Shinel Rodrigues (1472) of Salcete. On Board 3, Asmi Amit Terse (1522) of Salcete defeated Jennica Sequeira (1490) of Salcete, while on Board 4, Alaina Gomes (1520) of Salcete claimed victory over Aaradhya Balkrishna Sawant (Salcete).
The championship has drawn a total of 110 players in the Open Category, including 47 rated participants, and 53 players in the Girls Category, including 24 rated participants, representing various talukas across Goa.
The tournament os structured as 9-round classical chess competitions in each category, with three rounds scheduled for both May 9th and 10th. This championship will select 4 players from each Open and Girls Categories for the Nationals to be conducted in Punjab from 14 to 22 September 2026. This is the 1st year Salcete Taluka Chess Association along with B.P.S. Sports Club is organising this tournament as a Fide Rating Tournament with a prize pool of Rs. 40,000.
