5th Blue Chevaliers International Open 2026

1. Setting the Scene

Another year, another edition of the Blue Chevaliers Open in the books — and honestly, this one might be the best yet. Phuket has quietly become one of the go-to spots on the Southeast Asian chess calendar, and the clash with the 1st Berjaya event did nothing to hurt that reputation. For local Thai and even Malaysian players especially, this tournament is gold: a full nine-round Swiss against a genuinely international field, played at home, with real chances to pick up rating points and norms. You don't get that kind of opportunity.

Here's the rundown on the logistics:

• Venue: Novotel Phuket Resort, Patong Beach, Thailand
• Dates: September 7–13, 2026
• Format: 9-round Swiss System
• Time Control: 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment from move 1
• Organizers: Blue Chevaliers and Red Knight Chess Club
• Tournament Director: Peter Frost
• Officiating Team: Chief Arbiter IA Ellie Emira Syamimi, assisted by Deputy Chief Arbiters IA Chuah Jin Hai Jonathan, IA Wasinee Brahmawong, and IA Patcharawee Brahmawong.

I know 3 of the arbiters!!

And what a week it turned out to be. The title race went right down to the last round.

2. Khegay Gets It Done

If you've ever played top board in a big Swiss, you know how thankless it can feel. Everyone below you is playing with house money — a draw against the top seed is a great result for them, so they take risks, dig in, and generally make your life miserable. GM Dmitriy Khegay (FID, 2504) had to deal with exactly that pressure for nine rounds, and he handled it about as well as you could ask.

The story really came down to the last round. Khegay walked in needing a win, with the white pieces against GM Harmen Jonkman — no easy out, no draw-and-coast option. He got the job done, closing out the tournament on 7.5/9 and settling the title in the last game of the day.

It's the kind of finish that says more about a player than any single brilliancy could. With the field averaging around 1882, there was no room to relax against "lower-rated" opposition — plenty of those players were more than capable of causing an upset. Khegay's composure under that pressure is really what won him the tournament.

3. The Real Story: A FIDE Master Crashes the Podium

If the champion's story was about steadiness, second place was all about a breakout. It's rare to see a FIDE Master push past a pack of Grandmasters and International Masters to lock down clear second — but that's exactly what happened here.

FM Varun Gampa Aditya (IND, 2307) was the player everyone was talking about by the closing rounds. He capped off a gritty tournament with a Round 9 win over A Qil A Lauddin Abd Aziz, finishing on 7.0/9. That's a serious result — the kind that puts an IM norm conversation firmly on the table.

Below him, things got crowded fast. Five players tied on 6.5/9, and it took tiebreaks to sort out the order:

My favorite name in that group is Tran Pham Quang Minh — no title next to his name, but don't let that fool you. At only 12 years of age, he drew GM Harmen Jonkman in Round 7 and beat the higher-rated FM Ankit Gajwa back in Round 6. Vietnam has been quietly producing a lot of young, dangerous untitled players lately, and Minh's run here is a good example

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4. The Kids Made Some Noise Too

Open tournaments like this are always a good gauge of where the next generation stands, and this one had a couple of nice junior performances worth flagging.

courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/causofamily0816

Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay came away with solid 6.0/9 finishes. Bandyopadhyay in particular looked comfortable on the upper boards — the kind of composure that usually takes years longer to develop.

And a special shoutout to 10-year-old Jade Causo. Her score, 3.0/9, doesn't tell the full story. She was in the field with adults twice or three times her age and titled players well above her level, and by all accounts she never looked out of place or intimidated. Tournaments like this are exactly where that kind of experience gets built, and she should be proud of the week.

5. By the Numbers

Statistically, this was a tournament defined less by GM density and more by depth. The average rating of 1882 meant the top seeds couldn't coast against anyone — there were too many underrated, hungry players ready to punish complacency.

Who Showed Up

31 federations were represented this year:

• Australia, Austria, Brunei, Denmark, England, FIDE (FID), France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Ukraine, and USA.

Titled Players in the Field

• Grandmasters (GM): 6
• International Masters (IM): 2
• FIDE Masters (FM): 11
• Women's International Masters (WIM): 3
• Candidate Masters (CM/WCM): 6
• Total Titled Players: 28

Final Standings (Top 10)

If there's one takeaway from the numbers, it's this: nobody at the top got to coast. The favorites had to play close to flawless chess just to stay ahead of the FMs and untitled players snapping at their heels — which, honestly, is exactly what makes these Open events fun to follow.

6. Wrapping Up

Another edition down, and the Blue Chevaliers Open keeps proving it belongs on the regional calendar. Khegay's title run showed what disciplined, high-level preparation looks like under pressure, but for me the real headline was the chasing pack — Varun Gampa Aditya's breakout run and Tran Pham Quang Minh's giant-killing streak were the kind of stories that make Open tournaments worth watching in the first place. Here's hoping the next edition brings even more of that chaos.

Links:

Organisers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bluechevaliersopen
Chess-results: https://s2.chess-results.com/tnr1365480.aspx?lan=1&art=4&fed=SGP&turdet=YES&flag=30&SNode=S0