Pranav adds blitz gold to world junior honours

The 2026 World Junior Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships took place from 1 to 7 November at the Danat Al Ain Resort in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. A total of 185 players from 40 countries participated in the event, which featured four tournaments in the under-20 category: open and women's competitions in both rapid and blitz chess.

The rapid tournaments were played from 2 to 4 November, with nine rounds under the Swiss system and a time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. The blitz competitions followed on 5–6 November, with 13 Swiss rounds at a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment.

Videos by the ChessBase India team

Improve your pieces - a winning system you need to know

In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.

Rapid open: Begmuratov wins unbeaten

Uzbekistan's Khumoyun Begmuratov claimed the world junior rapid title with an unbeaten 7½/9, scoring six wins and three draws. The seventh seed finished half a point ahead of a group of four players who all scored 7/9.

India's Pranav V, the top seed, took silver on tiebreaks, while Azerbaijan's Read Samadov secured bronze. Armenia's Robert Piliposyan and Aleks Sahakyan also finished on seven points, taking fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Photo: FIDE

Final standings

...91 players

All available games

Rapid women's: Roebers takes gold

Eline Roebers of the Netherlands won the women's rapid championship with 7/9. The top seed collected six wins, two draws and one defeat over the nine rounds, finishing half a point ahead of her closest pursuers.

Practical Tips for the Tournament Player Vol.1: Fundamentals of Practical Chess

How grandmasters win without fireworks: GM Jan Markos shows you 11 very practical tips from "How to play in a lost position" to "Be patient like Carlsen" that will improve your tournament chess.
Most chess books teach you what to think about. This series teaches you what to actually do when the clock is running and the result is on the line. Compiled from GM Jan Markos's acclaimed "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" column in ChessBase Magazine, Volume 1 covers the decisions every tournament player faces before the position ever gets complicated: how you use your time, how you handle pressure, and how you think when the stakes are real.
Free Video Sample: How to use your time effectively

Uzbekistan's Umida Omonova took second place with 6½/9, edging out Marina Kuznetsova, who competed under the FIDE flag, on tiebreaks. Kazakhstan's Elnaz Kaliakhmet and Uzbekistan's Afruza Khamdamova also scored 6½ points, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Photo: FIDE

Final standings

...42 players

All available games

Blitz open: Pranav adds another world junior title

After taking silver in the rapid competition, India's Pranav V went one better in the blitz championship. The reigning world junior champion in classical chess scored 10½/13 to finish a full point ahead of the chasing pack.

Attacking Chess: Know When to Strike

Most players don’t lack the urge to attack, they just strike at the wrong moment, and GM Sipke Ernst shows you which signals tell you to go for the king and which tell you to choose another plan.
Most players know how to attack. What separates strong players from the rest is knowing when. In this course, GM Sipke Ernst, a grandmaster from the Netherlands and experienced coach, addresses the mistake he sees most often in his own students: attacking with the right idea, at the wrong moment.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Example Game: Ernst - Mediema

Kyrgyzstan's Eldiyar Orozbaev claimed silver with 9½ points, while Armenia's Robert Piliposyan took bronze on the same score. The latter thus collected his second podium finish of the event, having placed fourth in rapid chess.

Another notable result came from Syria's 13-year-old Mazen Fandi, who finished fourth with 9½ points, level with the two players immediately ahead of him.

Photo: FIDE

Final standings

...100 players

All available games

Blitz women's: Kleymenova finishes half a point clear

Valeria Kleymenova claimed the women's blitz world title with 10/13, finishing half a point ahead of two players who shared second place on points.

How to Avoid Mistakes and Boost Your Winning Rate

Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.

Uzbekistan's Afruza Khamdamova secured silver with 9½/13, while Veronika Iudina took bronze after finishing with the same score.

India's Aamuktha Guntaka and Kazakhstan's Zarina Nurgaliyeva completed the top five, both scoring 9/13. Khamdamova's silver medal also followed her fifth-place finish in the rapid competition, where she had scored 6½/9.

Photo: FIDE

Final standings

...47 players

All available games

Understanding Material Imbalances

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.