Mumbai, Aug 2026 : India’s Under-11 girls’ team secured a bronze medal at the prestigious ASEAN Chess Championship in Singapore, producing a commendable performance against some of Asia’s leading young chess talents.
The Indian team, comprising Varenya Lakshmi Vaka and Aligiri Amrutha Hemal of Andhra Pradesh, along with Mumbai’s Maya Siddharth Narula, who represents the Mumbai Chess Centre (MCC), finished with 14.5 points at the championship held at Tampines Hub.
Vietnam emerged champions with an impressive 19.5 points, while Singapore claimed the silver medal with 14.5 points. India also finished on 14.5 points but was placed third based on the tournament’s tie-break criteria.
The championship concluded on Tuesday night after bringing together around 700 players from 27 countries, making it one of the region’s prominent international junior chess competitions.
India’s young players displayed considerable fighting spirit and consistency throughout the tournament. Competing against strong opponents from across Asia, the Indian trio held their own and ensured a podium finish in a highly competitive field.
The achievement has further highlighted the growing strength and depth of Indian junior chess, particularly across the younger age groups. Indian players have increasingly made their mark at continental and global age-group competitions, earning medals across classical, rapid and blitz formats.
Durga Nagesh Guttula, chief coach at Mumbai Chess Centre, praised the team’s performance and said the results reflected the growing quality of India’s junior chess programme.
“Indian players have performed extremely well at this championship and have once again shown the strength and depth of Indian junior chess,” Guttula said.
He added that it was particularly encouraging to see Indian youngsters remain competitive across different age categories and events.
“These international championships provide invaluable exposure to our young players and help them develop the confidence and experience required to compete at the highest level,” he said.
The bronze medal also provides valuable international experience to the three Indian players at an important stage of their development. Competing against players from different chess systems and countries gives young competitors an opportunity to improve their decision-making, resilience and ability to perform under pressure.
The Indian team’s podium finish in Singapore adds to the country’s impressive record in age-group chess and underlines the effectiveness of the strong grassroots chess ecosystem that has produced several international-level players.
With India continuing to invest in and nurture young chess talent, performances such as this are expected to provide further momentum to the country’s growing presence in international junior chess.
