Mumbai, June 10 (IANS) The first few rounds of the Swiss League events generally favour the higher-rated players, and it was no different in the first round of the 360 One Junior Masters event being played at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai.

The fighting spirit of the juniors was in full display with decisive results on the first 48 boards, all in favour of the seeded players, with a draw conceded only on the 49th board.

The 13-year-old Madhvendra Pratap Sharma, with Elo 2373, has been given the top billing in the Junior Masters and is easily the favourite for the title. In the very first round, playing with the black pieces, Madhvendra defeated Aksh Shrivatsava.

The Junior Masters Chess Tournament is the crown jewel of junior chess and is proudly billed as the richest tournament for Juniors in the country, offering an impressive prize fund of Rs 10 lakh. Created with the vision of providing young talents a world-class platform to showcase their abilities, the event has become one of the most sought-after tournaments on the global junior chess calendar.

The 2026 edition has attracted 125 young players from India, the United States, and Zambia, with an average age of just 11 years, highlighting the remarkable depth of emerging talent in the game today. Over the years, the Junior Masters has earned a reputation for identifying future stars of world chess. Former participants and champions include some of India’s brightest talents, such as D. Gukesh, the reigning World Champion, R. Praggnanandhaa, Divya Deshmukh, and Pranav Venkatesh, all of whom have gone on to achieve remarkable success on the international stage.

Results of Round 1:

Aksh Shrivaatsav (0) lost to Madhvendra Pratap Sharma (1); Ankit Das (1) Pranitha Bhava (0); AvyanDarji (0) lost to Nijesh R (1); Shitz Prasad (1) bt Tisya Apurva (0); Tanush Mandowara (0) lost to Venkat Naga Karthik Malladi (1); Prercharla Hariram Saikrishna (1) bt Ivaan Dubey (0); Abhinav Palanichami (0) lost to Aaryan Amol Waghmare (1); Kavyansh Jain (1) bt Yuven Gaurav Jhaveri (1); Kala Dhyani (0) lost to Amanlal A (1); Aradhy Roy (1) bt Myra Ravi Jhaver (0).

–IANS

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