Khordha boy Pragyan Mishra and Cuttack girl Snehasmita Ram won the open and girls titles respectively in the Bishnu Charan Sethi Memorial Odisha State U-9 Open & Girls Chess Championships, which were held at KT Global School in Barunei, Khordha from 1 to 3 May 2026. Pratyush Kumar (Khordha) and Devanshi Sahoo (Khordha) finished runners-up.

A total of 110 players, including 40 girls, from 12 districts participated in the eight-round championships, which was jointly organised by Master Chess Foundation (MCF) and IIG Sports Academy, under the aegis of the All Odisha Chess Association (AOCA) and with the support of the Department of Sports & Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha.

The prize distribution ceremony was graced by AOCA president Satya Ranjan Pattnaik as chief guest. MCF founder Bikram Keshari Biswal, AOCA joint-secretary Bhabesh Mohanty, KT Global School sports director Jyoti Shankar Nanda, sports journalist Shakti Prasad Nanda, Chessturf Academy director Swayanghsu Satyakam and chief arbiter Santosh Kumar Mohapatra were present on the occasion.

The three-day championship was earlier inaugurated by KT Global School principal Rinku Sarangi, in the presence of AOCA vice-president Suresh Chandra Sahoo and King Chess Centre founder Biswajit Ray. The championship carried a total prize fund of Rs 20,000 with the title winners receiving Rs 2,000 each.

Top two finishers in each category qualified to represent Odisha in the 39th National U-9 Open & Girls Chess Championships, scheduled to be held in Jharkhand from 5 to 11 July 2026. Additionally, Odisha has been awarded three extra entries in the open category in recognition of its outstanding performance, including a gold medal in the 38th National Under-9 Open Chess Championship 2025.

FINAL PLACINGS (Top 10):

U-9 Open: 1. Pragyan Mishra, Khordha (7.5 points), 2. Pratyush Kumar, Khordha (7), 3, Riyansh Agarwal, Sundergarh (6.5), 4. Mriyank Lenka, Jajpur (6), 5, Arpan Sahoo, Khordha (6), 6.  Reyansh Mallick, Cuttack (5.5), 7. Rudra Pratap Sahoo, Khordha (5.5), 8. Krishit Panda, Cuttack (5.5), 9. Vihaan Shah, Cuttack (5.5), 10, Utkarsh Behera, Cuttack (5.5).

U-9 Girls: 1. Snehasmita Ram, Cuttack (7 points), 2. Devanshi Sahoo, Khordha (7), 3. Elena Mishra, Khordha (6), 4. Arya Mohanty, Cuttack (6), 5. Srujanee Sarangi, Khordha (6), 6. Anwesa Aryanandini, Puri (5.5), 7, Samyra Swain, Khordha (5.5), 8. Pratyakhyaa Shambhavi, Khordha (5), 9. Adeesha Kanungo, Khordha (5), 10, Arnavi Panda, Cuttack (5).
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PHOTO: Title winners and runners-up pose with guests and organising officials at the closing ceremony of the Odisha State U-9 Open & Girls Chess Championships in Barunei, Khordha on 3 May 2026.