19th G H Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Chess Festival 2026
The 19th G H Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Chess Festival 2026 runs from June 7 to June 14, 2026, in Nagpur, India. This is a chess tournament in Nagpur, India, in 2026.
The festival brings together three events in one venue. It includes the 19th international classical open, a FIDE rapid tournament, and a separate blitz tournament. Therefore, players can choose one format or stay for the full week.
G H Raisoni Sports & Cultural Foundation and Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation organize the festival at G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology. Moreover, the campus setup makes the event practical for outstation players, because the venue, hostel stay, and player facilities are all in one place.
🏁 Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 7-14, 2026 |
| Location | Nagpur, India |
| Format | Classical, rapid, and blitz chess festival |
| Time control | Classical: 90 minutes + 30 seconds; Rapid: 15 minutes + 5 seconds; Blitz: 3 minutes + 2 seconds |
| Rating | Classical and rapid are FIDE rated |
| Sections | Classical Open, Rapid Tournament, Blitz Tournament |
| Prize fund | INR 461,000 (approx. USD 5,521) |
| Festival | G H Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Chess Festival 2026 |
| Event code | Classical: 471283/MH/2026; Rapid: 471288/MH(R)/2026 |
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
The festival uses the Swiss system in all three events. The classical tournament runs for 11 rounds with a 90-minute time control and a 30-second increment from move one. As a result, it offers full classical conditions across six playing days.
The rapid tournament runs for 9 rounds with a 15-minute time control and a 5-second increment. The blitz tournament also runs for 9 rounds, and it uses 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment. Therefore, the weekend section of the festival gives players two faster formats after the classical open ends.
The published tie-break order starts with Buchholz Cut 1, then Buchholz, then Sonneborn-Berger, then direct encounter, then the number of wins, and finally the number of wins with Black. In addition, the organizer awards only one higher cash prize to each player and does not split cash prizes.
💰 Prize Fund
The published total prize fund for the full festival is INR 461,000 (approx. USD 5,521). This total covers the classical, rapid, and blitz events together.
♟️ Sections / Groups
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Classical Open | 19th G H Raisoni Memorial International Open FIDE Rating Chess Tournament, 11 rounds, June 7-12 |
| Rapid Tournament | 19th G H Raisoni Memorial International FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament, 9 rounds, June 13-14 |
| Blitz Tournament | Festival blitz event, 9 rounds, played after the rapid event on June 14 |
📅 Schedule
| Date | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| June 7, 2026 | 09:00 AM | Arrival for the classical tournament |
| June 7, 2026 | 10:00 AM | Inauguration ceremony |
| June 7, 2026 | 10:00 AM | Players’ meeting |
| June 7, 2026 | 10:30 AM | Round 1 of the classical tournament |
| June 12, 2026 | 03:30 PM | Classical prize distribution |
| June 13, 2026 | 08:00 AM | Arrival for the rapid and blitz section |
| June 13, 2026 | 09:00 AM | Inauguration ceremony |
| June 13, 2026 | 09:30 AM | Round 1 of the rapid tournament |
| June 14, 2026 | After rapid ends | Blitz tournament starts immediately |
| June 14, 2026 | 06:30 PM | Prize distribution for rapid and blitz |
The organizer provides the detailed round timings and further instructions during the players’ meetings.
📝 Registration
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Registration method | Official online registration |
| Classical entry fee | INR 3,000 |
| Classical fee for veteran 50+ players | INR 2,000 |
| Classical early-bird benefit | INR 500 discount if paid before April 30, 2026 |
| Classical late fee | INR 500 on June 5-6, 2026 |
| Rapid entry fee | INR 750 |
| Blitz entry fee | INR 350 |
| Rapid and blitz late fee | INR 300 on June 11-12, 2026 |
| Free entry | Players rated above 2300 and GM, WGM, IM, and WIM title holders |
| Free-entry accommodation deadline | June 4, 2026 |
| Rapid and blitz registration deadline | June 11, 2026 |
| AICF registration | INR 300 compulsory for Indian players for 2026-27 |
| MCA registration | INR 150 compulsory for Maharashtra players for 2026-27 |
| Waiver note | The organizer does not entertain requests for entry-fee waiver |
👤 Organizer
G H Raisoni Sports & Cultural Foundation and Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation run this festival as a full multi-format chess week in Nagpur. In addition, the organizers combine tournament play, player stay, and campus facilities in one integrated setup.
Phone: +91 78757 12182
Email: kalpanaprakashwelfarefoundation@yahoo.com
📍 Venue
G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology, Shraddha Park, Wadi – Hingna Link Road, MIDC, Nagpur, India
The whole festival takes place inside the G H Raisoni campus. The venue is practical for a multi-day event, and it also offers a canteen, parking area, lawn, waiting area for parents, and a water cooler.
🛏️ Accommodation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Standard hostel stay | Triple sharing with separate beds |
| Accommodation fee | INR 2,000 per person |
| Stay period | From the evening of June 6 to the morning of June 14 |
| Availability | First come, first served |
| Location | Hostel is inside the campus and within walking distance of the venue |
| Titled-player stay benefit | Free air-conditioned double-sharing accommodation for players rated above 2300 and GM, WGM, IM, and WIM title holders |
ℹ️ Other
The organizer reserves the right of admission and may refuse entry without assigning a reason.
Players may not bring mobile phones or any type of wristwatch into the games area.
A player who wishes to file a protest must submit it in writing within 15 minutes of the incident and must also pay a protest fee of INR 1,000. If the appeal succeeds, the organizer refunds the fee. Otherwise, the organizer keeps it.
🚗 How to Get There
Use G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology, Shraddha Park, Wadi – Hingna Link Road, MIDC, Nagpur, in your navigation. The campus is easy to reach by road. Meanwhile, players coming from outside Nagpur can continue from the airport or railway station by taxi or app cab.
It is a strong choice for players who want a full classical, rapid, and blitz chess week in Nagpur.
Additional Details
Prize Fund (approx.) - $5,521
Organizer
♟️ Foundation Identity
Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation is a welfare foundation based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Its public base is in Takli Seem on Hingna Road, and its own platform presents a mission centered on youth, children, and access through sport. That gives the organization a different profile from a standard chess club. It operates as a social and developmental foundation, but chess has become one of its strongest public activities. The foundation also has a clear named public contact in Bhushan Shriwas, who appears as Secretary and is closely tied to its chess work in Nagpur. For players and families, this matters. The organizer combines chess with a broader welfare and youth-development identity rather than treating tournaments as a standalone commercial event line.
🏆 Chess Event Activity
Chess sits at the center of the foundation’s visible sports program. It co-organizes the G H Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Chess Festival, including the 19th edition in 2026, and it has also appeared as the main organizer or co-organizer for other rated events in Nagpur. These include the Below 1600 Open Rating Tournament 2023, the Below 1800 Open Tournament 2024, the Below 1700 event in 2025, and district or school-level events linked to Chess Association Nagpur. The foundation’s chess role therefore goes well beyond one annual open. It supports a ladder of events that serves stronger open players, rating-band players, children, and district-level participants. For players in and around Nagpur, that creates a more regular and accessible competitive pathway.
🌱 Youth and Community Activity
The wider identity of the foundation still matters in its chess work. Its public mission focuses on empowering youth and children through sport and on widening access for those who need opportunity and support. The same platform also shows that the foundation has worked in community relief activity in Nagpur beyond tournament organization. That broader outlook gives its chess role more depth. It helps explain why the foundation appears so often in junior, school, and district formats instead of only in elite open events. For parents and younger players, this is useful. The organizer supports chess as part of a larger social program, while still helping stage serious rated events with recognized local chess bodies.
♟️ Foundation Identity
G H Raisoni Sports & Cultural Foundation is a sports and cultural foundation based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. It was incorporated in 2011 and has operated from Shradha House on Kingsway in central Nagpur. The foundation works across sport, recreation, and cultural programming, so chess sits inside a broader public activity model rather than in a single-purpose club structure. That wider profile matters for players. It gives the organizer access to larger venues, stronger event support, and a more stable institutional base than a small local chess group usually has. At the same time, the foundation has built a visible chess identity of its own through repeat open events and festival-style tournament delivery.
🏆 Chess Event Activity
Chess is one of the foundation’s clearest competitive roles. It co-organizes the G H Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Chess Festival, which reached its 19th edition in 2026 and had already run in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 in the same broader event line. The festival includes classical, rapid, and blitz sections and uses the G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology campus in Nagpur. Beyond that flagship series, the foundation has also been tied to other rated chess events in Nagpur, including the Below 1600, Below 1700, Below 1800, and one-day rapid formats. It has also supported children’s festival chess in Nagpur. For players, that shows continuity, scale, and a real annual tournament rhythm rather than one isolated event.
🌱 Wider Role and Player Experience
The foundation’s broader structure adds practical value for chess players. Its events run inside the Raisoni institutional ecosystem, and that helps support venue logistics, accommodation, and player facilities. The 2026 festival material lists hostel accommodation inside the campus and names facilities such as canteen service, parking, lawn space, a parent waiting area, and drinking water. That kind of support can make a long chess event easier for visiting players and families. Beyond chess, the foundation remains active in other sports and cultural programs in Nagpur and other Raisoni-linked centers. This gives the organizer a distinct identity. It is not only a chess label. It is a multi-activity foundation that repeatedly gives chess a well-supported place in its public calendar.
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