A spirited 15-player contingent contested the Open and Girls events in Pondicherry from 3–9 September 2026
Odisha’s emerging chess players delivered a determined showing at the 39th National Under-13 Open and Girls Chess Championships, held at Amalorpavam Higher Secondary School, Vanarapet. The prestigious 11-round Swiss-system tournament, organised by the Pondicherry Chess Association, used the classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one. Odisha fielded nine players in the Open section and six in the Girls section.
Open Section: Sattwik Swain Leads Odisha Challenge
Candidate Master Sattwik Swain produced Odisha’s standout result, scoring 8 points from 11 rounds to finish 16th overall. Rated 2044, he converted his status as the state’s highest-rated entrant into a strong top-20 finish. Manish Mishra and Siddhartha Mallick followed with 6½ points each, while Satya Swarup Tripathy, Sayansh Das and Aadarsh Kumar Beriha all reached the six-point mark.
| Sl | State Rank | AOCA | Name | Rtg | District | Score | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4512 | CM Sattwik Swain | 2044 | Khordha | 8 | 16 | |
| 2 | 1 | 4252 | Manish Mishra | 1767 | Khordha | 6½ | 112 |
| 3 | 27 | 4636 | Siddhartha Mallick | 1547 | Khordha | 6½ | 149 |
| 4 | 6 | 4634 | Satya Swarup Tripathy | 1751 | Khordha | 6 | 169 |
| 5 | 2 | 4363 | Sayansh Das | 1741 | Khordha | 6 | 177 |
| 6 | 4 | 4750 | Adarsh Kumar Beriha | 1753 | Khordha | 6 | 197 |
| 7 | 5 | 5531 | Dibyansu Das | 1611 | Khordha | 5½ | 228 |
| 8 | 8 | 5810 | Barnit Bitan Mohanty | 1497 | Khordha | 5 | 303 |
| 9 | 16 | 5981 | Choudhury Subham Nanda | 1585 | Khordha | 5 | 309 |
Girls Section: Nainika Sahoo Finishes on Seven Points
Nainika Sahoo led Odisha’s campaign in the Girls section with an impressive 7 points and 51st place overall. Amruta Priyalaxmi added 5½ points, while Aksharaa Hanaga and Shreyanshi Chhotaray scored 5 points each. Akshata Mishra finished with 4½ points, and Saradha Bhagya Kamini completed the state’s six-player line-up with 3½ points.
| Sl | State Rank | AOCA | Name | Rtg | District | Score | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 4298 | Nainika Sahoo | 1687 | Khordha | 7 | 51 |
| 2 | 10 | 4860 | Amruta Priyalaxmi | 1438 | Khordha | 5½ | 149 |
| 3 | 12 | 5605 | Aksharaa Hanaga | 1485 | Khordha | 5 | 158 |
| 4 | 6 | 3921 | Shreyanshi Chhotaray | 0 | Khordha | 5 | 163 |
| 5 | 25 | 5561 | Akshata Mishra | 0 | Cuttack | 4½ | 189 |
| 6 | 3 | 4405 | Saradha Bhagya Kamini | 1552 | Khordha | 3½ | 230 |
With 15 players competing over seven demanding days, Odisha’s participation reflected the growing strength of its junior chess ecosystem. The leading finishes by Sattwik Swain and Nainika Sahoo were the headline performances, while the wider contingent gained valuable exposure to a high-quality national field. The experience should provide a strong platform as these young players continue their development in forthcoming state, national and international-rating events.
