Come and witness the game of chess in the dark where minds see what eyes cannot

by Aditya Sur Roy - 04/02/2026

There are some chess events which are a little extra special because some really special people become a part of it. One such event was organised at the Agriculture Colony Community Hall, Hasthinapuram, in Hyderabad, India. Venkat Reddy S became the undefeated champion with a perfect score of 5/5. A total of thirty-three players participated in the one-day rapid event. The event was organised by Mahender Vaishnav who is former member of Indian visually challenged national cricket team. The entry fees was only Rs. 200 for all and for students just Rs. 100. The players were provided breakfast, lunch, evening tea and dinner. Each and every player got cash prizes, trophies and participation certificates making this an absolutely unique chess event. We wish more tournaments like these are organised at every part of the world regularly so that these players can get more chances to play. Photos by Aditya Sur Roy.

On the 25th of January, a unique chess tournament was organised in Hyderabad, India - The Mahnav Ability Open Rapid Chess Championship for Visually Challenged 2026 Under the aegis of AICFB. A chess tournament only for the visually challenged chess enthusiasts. You may think what’s so special about it? Usually tournaments for the visually challenged are only organised for specific purposes like state/national selections and the major events of the year. But this event was unique. Players from different parts of India gathered to play in this event in Hyderabad. Some were regular faces, some returned to play after many years and some were taking fairly new steps. More than forty players initially registered for the event which was organised by the Mahnav Ability Trust run by Mahender Vaishnav a former visually challenged cricketer who has represented the country on the biggest stages including winning the world cup.

The game of chess in the dark - where minds see what eyes cannot, A video by Aditya Sur Roy

Meeting friends in a chess tournament is always a great moment to catch up

The sweet gesture of greeting the players with a flower

Every player received a flower before the game, something we can all try in our tournaments

With just entry fees of Rs. 100 for students and Rs. 200 for the rest, this was really a special event. Not only that, all the participants received cash prizes including the players who finished at the bottom. There were arrangements of breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. You may have hardly ever heard of a tournament like this. Though it was an intense tournament, you could see players having a good laugh after a game.

Some creative use of the flowers for sure

Some practice before the round starts always helps

The event started with breakfast for everyone, felicitation of guests and some speeches by eminent personalities who made this event possible.

The guests inaugurated the tournament

Guests making the first move

The organiser of the event, Mahender Vaishnav has curated this wonderful tournament

After an intense tournament, the top seed Venkat Reddy S became the champion with a full score of 5/5. Aakash Vadlakonda, Shivadeepak Kodipaka, ACM Venkata Naga Durga Prasad Katta and Sathish M scored four points each and finished in second, third, fourth and fifth positions respectively as per tie-breaks. Checkout all the photos in the Facebook album.