Mumbai boy Jaiveer Mahendru's sensational wildcard entry to the Abu Dhabi Masters

by Aditya Sur Roy - 07/07/2025

The Abu Dhabi Chess Festival is hosting their 31st edition this year with a massive prize fund of USD 55,500, featuring seventeen different exciting tournaments to offer an opportunity for players of all levels. The organisers of the festival presented us with this first of its kind special chance where the winner of the tournament will get a wildcard entry to play the Abu Dhabi Masters, one-way flight ticket to Abu Dhabi, visa and free entry to play any tournament of the festival subject to eligibility. This step can be a game changer for the young Indian talents who are always looking for great opportunities like these and we hope that the festival continues to support the initiative and we can arrange bigger tournaments in the coming days which can produce many young talents. All prize distribution photos were captured by Maestro Chess Academy team.

On the 5th of July, the city of Hyderabad in India witnessed one of the most unique tournaments ever organised. The first prize of the tournament was a one-way flight ticket to Abu Dhabi and a golden opportunity to participate in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world - The Abu Dhabi Chess Festival. ChessBase India Hyderabad in association with Abu Dhabi Chess Festival and Maestro Chess Academy organised this one day rapid tournament where some of the strongest players battled it out for the title.

The first page of the brochure for the 4th ChessBase India Chess Festival, Ticket to Abu Dhabi

The Tactics Challenge

The 4th Chessbase India Chess Festival In Hyderabad continued its ritual to start with a tactics challenge but this time with a twist. We carefully selected five positions from five amazing games that were played by some of the top players of the world.

The five carefully selected tactics positions by Himank Ghosh from Chessranga

Five questions were given which had to be solved within 45 minutes. A total of twenty-eight players participated in the event and local super-talent Dhruva Thota scored a whopping 24/25 points and grabbed the first place. He won a book - Improve Your Chess Calculation by Ramesh RB and a cash prize of Rs. 1,750.

Champion Dhruva Thota with Improve Your Chess Calculation by Ramesh RB

Two of Hyderabad’s talented girls Samhita Pungavanam and Shivamshika G tied for the second spot but Samhita was declared the winner based on her early submission. They won cash prizes of Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 1,250 respectively. The winners also received medals from Maestro Chess Academy.

Samhita Pungavanam in action at the Rapid event, won the second prize in tactics challenge

Shivamshika G collecting the third prize for the Tactics challenge.

Tactics challenge score top fifteen

The Raging Rapid Challenge

A total of 105 players from various parts of the country registered for the eight-round rapid challenge and an astonishing 88 players were rated. The field included nine titled players including three FMs, three CMs, one WFM, two WCMs, national gold medalists, age category world champion, asian medalists and also many renowned chess coaches making it a very strong tournament. The time format was 10 mins plus an additional two seconds increment from move one.

Players in action during the rapid tournament, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

FM FT Rishpal Singh in action against youngster Adhyayan Banerjee, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

Players in action during the rapid tournament, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

Chief Arbiter NA Navya Krishna G in action, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

Renowned coach FI Saketh Pedagandham in action, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

Father CM Amithpal Singh and daughter Sahejdeep Kaur side by side in action, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

Top seed Bharat Kumar Reddy Poluri faces FM Jaiveer Mahendru, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

The title game, FM Jaiveer Mahendru vs CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

The Champions

FM Jaiveer Mahendru from Mumbai flew all the way to take his chance and after eight rounds of brilliant performances clinched the title with a score of 7.5 out of a possible 8. It wasn’t an easy task for Jaiveer as he faced some of the strongest, young and experienced talents from across the country. Jaiveer toppled the top seed Bharat Kumar Reddy Poluri in the sixth round after a thrilling encounter and went into the seventh round with a perfect score of 6/6 but was held by Vignesh Kannan P to a draw as Jaiveer was unable to convert his extra pawn advantage and had to settle for a draw as he was caught in the loop of a repetition. Jaiveer defeated both the first and second seed and secured the title winning the ticket to Abu Dhabi, visa and a chance to play any tournament of the 31st Abu Dhabi Chess Festival considering he is eligible. Jaiveer was also awarded a special book - A Matter of Endgame Technique by Jacob Aagaard as we replaced winner trophies with books. Check all the results here

Champion FM Jaiveer Mahendru, score-7.5/8

One of Hyderabad’s strong talents and a regular face in the chess circle, Bharat Kumar Reddy Poluri finished second with a score of seven out of a possible eight. Bharat manages to play almost every strong tournament in Hyderabad even after being a full time chess coach. Bharat won Rs. 8000 in cash and a special book - 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesús de la Villa.

1st runner-up Bharat Kumar Reddy Poluri, score - 7/8

Nineteenth seed, CM Karthik Sai Ch played some fantastic chess and won six games to finish third with a score of 6.5 out of 8 with better tie-break score. Karthik won a cash prize of Rs. 5,500 and a book - Improve Your Chess Calculation by Ramesh RB.

2nd runner-up CM Karthik Sai Ch, score - 6.5/8

Players ranked fourth to the tenth received the latest ChessBase 18 software as prizes and medals from Maestro Chess Academy.

4th - Tijil Singh, score - 6.5/8

5th - FM Dhruva Thota, score - 6.5/8

6th - FM Rishpal Singh, score - 6/8

7th Vignesh Kannan P, score -6/8

8th Vignesh Advaith Vemula, score -6/8

9th Ritesh Maddukuri, score -6/8

10th CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni, score -5.5/8

Top three winners with the organisers

All prize winners

Top fifteen finishers in the Rapid challenge

The tournament director CM FI Amithpal Singh, also joined the field and scored 4.5 points and claimed the best veteran player of the tournament. He received a special book - Decision Making in Major Piece Endings by Boris Gelfand and a cash prize of Rs. 2,500.

CM FI Amithpal Singh receiving best veteran prize

The youngest participant of the tournament, seven-year old Sai Suman Kandala couldn’t win any games but received the ChessPa Meets Guki- The Golden Boy! book as a token of encouragement. You should have seen the joy in his eyes as he received the book. May he be inspired to play many more tournaments.

Sai Suman Kandala very happy to receive the Chesspa meets Guki book

Find of the tournament

One of the finds of the tournament was the extremely talented Rithvik Marr. An under-17 state champion, Rithvik was born Visually impaired (Glaucoma) and was taken to the LV Prasad Hospital as a 35 days old baby, and his treatment is still ongoing. He is studying Intermediate and has scored 94% in grade 10, CBSE Board and 97% Intermediate 1st Year in Commerce stream.

Starting as the 40th seed, Rithvik scored 5/8 in such a strong field, beating and holding players way higher in strength and finished at 18th place which is remarkable. We awarded him with a book - The Power of Pawns as a prize for participating in the tournament.

Rithvik Marr receiving the prize - The Power of Pawns

Rithvik Marr in action during the rapid challenge

Rithvik Marr against FM Rishpal Singh in the fourth round, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

Shoutouts

While we speak about the talented players who are working hard each day, we wanted to give a shoutout to all the enthusiasts who juggle between work and the love of chess and make sure they participate in all the chess events in the city. Prabath Lakshminarayana J, Wing Commander Vivek Joshi and Pavan Joshi are working professionals who didn’t let the strong field overwhelm them but really enjoyed being a part of the tournament. Pavan who has been a part of the 1st and 2nd ChessBase India Chess Festival also offered to help as a volunteer if needed and that was a very nice gesture. Vivek Joshi, a sturdy professional and an extremely passionate chess enthusiast also made sure to come and visit us even after playing some intense games for the last three days for his department.

Pavan Joshi in action, scored three points by defeating two rated players, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

Prabath Lakshminarayana finished with a fifty percent score, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

A selfie with Wing Commander Vivek Joshi after the tournament

The support and backbone of the tournament

No amount of work is difficult or tiresome if you have a great team. The tournament was held at the Maestro Chess Academy in Hyderabad with the support of CM FI Amithpal Singh and his amazing staff members who worked tirelessly to make this event a grand success. They worked beyond their working hours and late night to make sure everything was organised in the best possible way. it took just one message to get the confirmation of the venue for the event as Amithpal gave the green signal and assured us that he will support us wholeheartedly for the event with anything we would need. This vote of confidence was everything we needed to kickstart the preparations. We want to thank Amithpal and the entire team for their support without whom this event was not possible.

Amithpal shares his thoughts post tournament - "I had the honor of hosting the 4th ChessBase Rapid Tournament in Hyderabad—an incredibly memorable and competitive event. What started as a modest idea evolved into an impressive gathering of over 100 strong participants, far surpassing my expectations and marking our first major tournament at this venue.

To ensure a smooth and comfortable experience, I chose the vacant first floor for the players, while the ground floor served as a welcoming seating area for parents and spectators. This thoughtful arrangement worked exceptionally well, fostering a friendly and engaging atmosphere for everyone involved.

The energy and enthusiasm throughout the tournament were palpable. Hyderabad’s chess community has shown tremendous eagerness to participate in ChessBase India events, and I’m hopeful we’ll see even more such tournaments here in the future. My academy’s students were especially thrilled—30 of our top “maestro” students jumped at the chance to compete from the moment the event was announced.

Watching them battle it out on the 1st floor was incredibly rewarding. The determination, camaraderie, and strategic brilliance they displayed underscored the impact of high-quality, local chess events. It’s clear that these experiences are not just about competition—they’re about growth, inspiration, and forging stronger connections within our chess family.

A heartfelt thank you to Aditya and Sagar Shah for entrusting me with this opportunity. Your support made this tournament possible, and I’m deeply grateful. It was an absolute privilege to be part of such a dynamic and meaningful event. I look forward to more exciting editions and seeing our chess culture in Hyderabad continue to flourish."

The amazing team of Maestro Chess Academy being felicitated

The chief arbiter of the tournament, NA Navya Krishna G is one most genuine and hardworking people you will meet in a tournament. Navya came all the way from Armoor mandal Nizamabad district travelling for four hours and reach early morning at 3:00 AM. Navya single handedly managed the entire tournament with the help of Meastro team members. We thanked Navya for his enthusiasm and spirit for helping us with the tournament.

Chief Arbiter NA Navya Krishna G being felicitated

The birth of the future stars

There were many young players for whom this was the first chance to play in such a strong tournament. We salute the courage, enthusiasm and zeal of these bright youngsters and wish that they are keep playing and improving. Enjoy some photos of some of the youngsters who participated in the tournament.

Future stars in action, photo by Aditya Sur Roy

A special note of thanks

The 4th Chessbase India Chess Festival In Hyderabad, ticket to Abu Dhabi will be remembered as a landmark event. An event where for the first time a wildcard entry to one of the biggest chess tournaments in the world, the 31st Abu Dhabi Chess Festival was set as the first prize along with one way ticket and visa. We wanted to thank the people behind the initiate IA Saeed Al Khouri and IA Bogdan Garbea for trusting in us and making this possible. We look forward to keep making this event bigger in the coming days.

Saeed Al Khouri, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club, photo by David Llada

Bogdan Garbea with Magnus Carlsen

About the author and organiser

This is the fourth event organised by Aditya Sur Roy in Hyderabad. Aditya travels extensively with ChessBase India to cover various tournaments around the world and always seeks the opportunity to create some new and unique opportunities for the chess players. Having observed many national and international organisers closely, Aditya gets heavily inspired in the way chess events are operated. The joy and thrill in organising an event is immense and the value that is created is something to work hard for. From replacing trophies with books, to arranging a wildcard entry to a major chess event, bringing something new and meaningful to the world of chess is something Aditya loves.