Young chess stars shine as Victorian State Junior Chess championships draw 529 entries

2026 Rapid and blitz titles decided during a two-day junior chess festival in Bacchus Marsh

By Hobsons Bay Chess Club

MADDINGLEY — on Oct 3-4, Victoria’s leading young chess players converged on Bacchus Marsh Grammar for the 2026 Victorian Junior Rapid and Blitz Championships, with 529 entries across a weekend of fast-paced competition.

The Championships were formally opened by Mat Hilakari MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Member for Point Cook, alongside representatives of Chess Victoria, sponsors, organisers and leading junior players. The ceremony gave the weekend the feel of a major junior sporting occasion before the clocks were started and the playing hall settled into concentration – with the ceremonial opening moves done by MP Hilakari and Chess Victoria’s Acting President Anna Yates.

Rapid and blitz chess formats compress the calculation and drama of classical chess into much shorter contests. In rapid, with 13 minutes + 2 seconds per move on the clock, players have enough time to build a plan and navigate a complicated middlegame, but little room for long reflection when tactics erupt. Blitz turns the pressure up even further: with only 3 minutes + 2 seconds per move, decisions are made in seconds, hands hover over the clock and a winning position can disappear through one hurried move or a flag falling.

The Hobsons Bay Chess Club-hosted event attracted 529 entries across the whole weekend, with players contesting Open and Girls’ state championship titles from under-eight through to under-18. Both competitions were rated by the Australian Chess Federation (ACF) and the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

FIDE Master (FM) Rheyansh Annapureddy completed a standout double by winning the Under-18 Open titles in both rapid and blitz. Kaisar Batyrbekov matched that feat in the Under-10 Open division, while Anton Roizman claimed both Under-8 Open championships. Kaisar has also become the only triple Victorian Junior State Champion this year following his Under-10 Open win in Classical chess earlier in July – just in time for FIDE’s rollout of the Total Chess Championship Tour next year.

Other Rapid VIC State champions were Fergus Tang (Under-12), Candidate Master (CM) Anh Kiet Nguyen (Under-14) and CM Khushal Lingineni (Under-16). The blitz VIC State titles in the Open categories went to Lucas Parker (Under-12), CM Lucas Zhao (Under-14) and Harry Wilford (Under-16).

In the girls’ events, Women’s Candidate Master (WCM) Deethya Sai Katakam won both the rapid and blitz Under-18 crowns. The rapid girls champions also included Poshya Balaji (Under-8), Mishleen Kaur (Under-10), Jahnavi Mondal (Under-12), Mrinalini Siva (Under-14) and Adelyn Wang (Under-16). Girls blitz State champions included Heesan Yang (Under-8), Nyra Venkat (Under-10), Lamiah Husain (Under-12), Aadhya Sai Katakam (Under-14) and Claire Marasinghe (Under-16). Across the age groups, the time pressure produced the familiar rhythm of a major chess event: a burst of activity after each round began, long pockets of silence, then a quickening clatter of pieces and clocks as games entered their final minutes. Juniors emerged comparing combinations, missed chances and last-second escapes before checking the next pairing and returning to the boards.

For spectators kept outside the controlled playing area, the electronic boards and live commentary opened a window onto the leading contests and modernised the experience. Parents could watch attacks develop and endgames tighten on the large screens without disturbing the players, while ~18k+ online viewers followed the same moves beyond the venue via a livestream by popular chess commentator Sophie Davis. QR-code access to pairings and results, random metal-detector fair-play checks, professional photography and sponsor showcases added to the festival-style presentation. The result was a championship that retained chess’s intense, individual struggle while giving the wider audience a clearer sense of the unfolding contest.

Bacchus Marsh Grammar School fielded the largest school contingent (across its 2 campuses at Maddingley and Woodlea), with 30 rapid and 17 blitz entries – bringing in 3 medal placements. Hobsons Bay Chess Club had the most registrants amongst Victorian clubs – with 76 entries and a whopping 32 medal placements across all categories.

The volunteer-led championships also supported the development of Victorian tournament officials, producing two ACF arbiter norms and one FIDE Arbiter norm.

Full tournament results are available here for the VIC State Junior Rapid and here for the VIC State Junior Blitz. Professional photography from both event, courtesy of Chess Life Academy, is available here.

Caption: tournament playing hall at Bacchus Marsh Grammar (Maddingley Campus;, photo by Sabrina Koetsier / Chess Life Academy

Caption: Mat Hilakari MP making the ceremonial opening move; photo by Sabrina Koetsier / Chess Life Academy

Caption (L-R): Girls Rapid U18 Open Victorian State medallists: WCM Deethya Sai Katakam (1st), Aadhya Sai Katakam (2nd), Claire Marasinghe (3rd); photo by Sabrina Koetsier / Chess Life Academy

Caption (L-R in the middle): Rapid U18 Open Victorian State medallists: Caleb Sing (3rd), FM Rheyansh Annapureddy (1st), Harry Wilford (2nd), with prizes presented by Wade Higgins (ChessNut) & Chief Arbiter FA Kuanysh Batyrbekov; photo by Sabrina Koetsier / Chess Life Academy;

Caption (L-R front row): Open Blitz U10 winners (first row): Jaden Qi (=3rd), Aidan Batyrbekov (3rd), Kaisar Batyrbekov (1st), Ashwin Ramanathan (2nd), with prizes presented by Wade Higgins (ChessNut) & Principal Debra Ogston (Bacchus Marsh Grammar); photo by Sabrina Koetsier / Chess Life Academy;