Mumbai, Nov 15 — Veer Dhaval Shah and AIM Hriday Maniar produced outstanding performances, winning all seven games in their respective categories, as the Maharashtra State Schools Chess Championship 2026 concluded at Rustomjee Cambridge International School, Dahisar (West), on Sunday.
The three-day championship, organised by Indian Chess School, witnessed keen competition among 387 players across six FIDE-rated categories in the Under-9, Under-13 and Under-17 Open and Girls sections.
Veer Dhaval Shah of Jamnabai Narsee School, JVPD, dominated the Under-9 Open category, while Hriday Maniar completed a remarkable clean sweep in the Under-17 Open section.
Lavanya Singh, Vihaan Anupam Agrawal, Tisyaa Apurva Patt and Drishya Naik emerged champions in the remaining four categories.
A total cash prize fund of Rs 60,000 was allocated across the six categories, with Rs 10,000 earmarked for each category. The top three finishers in every category received glittering SBI Life trophies, while players finishing fourth to tenth.
In the Under-9 Open category, Veer Dhaval Shah (1501) of Jamnabai Narsee School, JVPD, emerged as the undisputed champion with a perfect score of seven points from seven rounds. Ivaan Dubey (1545), who had earlier won the Under-7 Open title in the first stage, secured second place with six points, while Aarav Ravi Jhavar (1571) of Jamnabai Narsee School finished third with six points.
The Under-9 Girls category witnessed an exciting three-way finish, with Lavanya Singh (1448) of Sanjivani International School emerging champion with six points on superior tie-break. Ishi Singh (1538) of J. B. Petit High School for Girls also scored six points to secure second place, while Nikita Sandeep (1411) finished third with six points.
In the Under-13 Open category, Vihaan Anupam Agrawal (1858) of Narayana Olympiad School emerged champion with six points from seven rounds, edging out top seed Nirvaan Nirav Shah (1956) of Don Bosco International School, who also scored six points but had to settle for second place on tie-break.
In the Under-13 Girls category, Tisyaa Apurva Patt (1524) of Avalon Heights International School produced an impressive performance to clinch the championship with six points from seven rounds. Pranitha Bhava (1655) of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya secured second place with 5.5 points.
The Under-17 Open category witnessed a commanding performance by top seed AIM Hriday Maniar (1910), who maintained his winning streak throughout the championship to secure the title with a perfect score of seven points from seven rounds.
Shaurya Ashish Modi (1626) finished second with 5.5 points, while Soham Sudarshan Sahamate (1667) secured third place, also with 5.5 points.
In the Under-17 Girls category, top seed Drishya Naik (1713) emerged as a convincing champion with 6.5 points from seven rounds, finishing 1.5 points ahead of her nearest challengers.
The championship served as the selection tournament for the National Schools Chess Championship, scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad from December 16 to 20, 2026. The top two finishers in each of the six categories have earned the opportunity to represent Maharashtra at the national championship.