The UNSTOPPABLE LBHM Chess Festival 2026 takes place from November 10 to 18, 2026, in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Organized by Aryans Chess Academy, the festival continues the Late Bharatbai Halkude Memorial tradition with four FIDE-rated tournaments at Mansukhbhai Kothari National School.

Players can choose between two classical events, one rapid tournament and one blitz tournament. Moreover, all four competitions use the Swiss system and offer extensive main, rating, age-group and special-category prizes.

The organizer advertises a total prize fund of ₹1,616,160, approximately $16,810. In addition, the festival offers hundreds of cash prizes, trophies and medals across the four tournaments.

♟️ Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

Each tournament consists of nine Swiss-system rounds.

*The official brochure lists the Rapid time control as 15 minutes + 5 seconds per move, while the live Chess-Results page currently lists 10 minutes + 5 seconds per move. Therefore, rapid players should confirm the final time control with the organizer before the event.

The organizers use the following tie-break order: Buchholz Cut 1, Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, Direct Encounter, number of wins including forfeits, and number of wins with Black.

Pairings, starting lists and results for all four tournaments are available through the Chess-Results links above.

🏆 Prize Fund

The organizer advertises a combined prize fund of ₹1,616,160, approximately $16,810.

The four published event prize funds add up to ₹1,616,100, while the festival brochure advertises ₹1,616,160 overall. Therefore, there is a small ₹60 discrepancy in the published organizer materials.

In addition to the main prizes, the organizers offer rating-category awards, special-category prizes and extensive junior awards.

Special categories include Women 15+, Veteran 55+, Specially Abled, Pune players and Maharashtra players. Junior prizes cover U07, U09, U11, U13 and U15, separately for boys and girls.

Cash prizes are not shared. If a player qualifies for more than one cash category, the organizers award only the highest eligible prize.

👥 Sections / Groups

The festival combines four FIDE-rated competitions.

For the Below 1700 tournament, a rated player must not have crossed 1699 in the 36 months before the tournament begins. Unrated players may also participate.

However, players who finished first or second in a rating-restricted FIDE tournament cannot enter another rating-restricted tournament for one year after that achievement.

📅 Schedule

Open Classical – November 10–14

The Open prize ceremony follows at 18:30 on November 14.

Blitz – November 14

The Blitz prize ceremony starts at approximately 19:00.

Rapid – November 15

The Rapid prize ceremony starts at approximately 19:00.

Below 1700 Classical – November 16–18

The final prize ceremony starts at approximately 19:00 on November 18.

📝 Registration

The organizers publish several entry-fee stages. The second early-bird deadline is October 5, 2026, while the regular registration deadline is October 31, 2026.

Discounted VHAN fees are available for Veterans, Handicap players, Armed Forces personnel and players from North-East states.

Combined tournament packages are also available for players entering two or three events.

The regular registration deadline is October 31. After that date, the organizer accepts late entries with an additional ₹500 fee until the following deadlines:

CircleChess Registration:
https://circlechess.com/registration?id=53835

Alternative Registration:
https://www.game-plan.co

Indian players must complete AICF registration for 2026–27, while Maharashtra players must also complete MCA registration for 2026–27.

AICF Registration:
https://prs.aicf.in/players

GM, WGM, IM and WIM players receive free entry. In addition, titled players who register for accommodation by October 20 can receive AC hotel accommodation on a triple-sharing basis.

👤 Organizer

Organizer Name: Aryans Chess Academy
Contact Person: Nagnath Halkude
Email: aryanschessacademy096@gmail.com
Phone: +91 78759 84545

📍 Venue

Mansukhbhai Kothari National School – Sr. No. 19, Kondhwa Main Road, Opp. Talab Factory, Kondhwa, Pune, Maharashtra 411048, India

All four tournaments take place at the same venue. Moreover, the organizer describes the school as offering a spacious playing hall, good lighting, ventilation and comfortable seating.

Coordinates: 18.462906, 73.893268

🚕 How to Get There

The venue lies in the Kondhwa area of Pune.

By air: Pune International Airport is approximately 14–17 km by road from Kondhwa. A taxi or app-based ride is generally the simplest option for players carrying luggage or chess equipment.

By train: Pune Junction is approximately 9 km from the Kondhwa area. From the railway station, players can continue by taxi, auto-rickshaw or local bus.

By car: Use Mansukhbhai Kothari National School, Sr. No. 19, Kondhwa Main Road, Opp. Talab Factory, Pune 411048 as the destination.

ℹ️ Other Information

AICF registration for 2026–27 is compulsory for Indian participants. Likewise, Maharashtra players must hold current MCA registration.

The organizers do not allow electronic devices inside the tournament hall. This rule includes mobile phones, smart watches and other wrist watches.

Players who withdraw on or before October 20 can claim a 25% refund. Meanwhile, withdrawals submitted by October 31 qualify for a 50% refund. The organizers offer no refund for withdrawals from November 1 onward.

Withdrawal requests must go by email to support@circlechess.com.

Finally, players should follow the latest Chess-Results pages for starting lists, pairings and operational updates before travelling to the venue.