Commonwealth Championship 2025: Daniel Howard Fernandez lifts crown; India shines across categories
English Grandmaster Daniel Howard Fernandez was crowned Commonwealth Champion as the 2025 Commonwealth Chess Championship concluded on Sunday. Organized by the Malaysian Chess Federation under the auspices of the Commonwealth Chess Association and FIDE, the event brought together 373 players from 17 nations, making it one of the most vibrant editions in recent years. Howard’s steady and confident performance earned him the title with an impressive 7.5/9 points, after he drew his final-round game against India’s FM Adireddy Arjun. The race for second place was fiercely contested, with four Indian players finishing on 7 points. Tiebreaks awarded FM Adireddy Arjun (pictured below) the silver medal and GM Lalit Babu M R the bronze, followed by IM Neelash Saha and GM Deepan Chakkravarthy in fourth and fifth place, respectively. In the Women’s category, which was integrated with the Open event, India demonstrated overwhelming dominance by sweeping the podium. Srija Seshadri captured the gold medal with an impressive performance, while Mary Ann Gomes secured silver and Nisha Mohota claimed bronze. Category highlights The tournament featured a wide range of categories, each showcasing spirited battles and outstanding performances from emerging talents across the Commonwealth. Junior categories: Under-20 (Junior): Singapore’s Goh Zi Han (Gold), Bangladesh’s Tashriq Saihan Shan (Silver), Malaysia’s A’qil A’lauddin Bin Abd Aziz (Bronze). Junior Girls: Sri Lanka’s Sandula K M Dahamdi (Gold), India’s Mrittika Mallick (Silver), Singapore’s Liew Tze Chi (Bronze). Senior: Malaysia’s Ismail Ahmad (Gold), Kenya’s John Mukabi (Silver), India’s IM Sekhar Chandra Sahu (Bronze). Open youth categories: Under-08: Malaysia’s Muhammad Aariz Daniel Bin Mohd Shah (Gold), India’s Prayank Gaonkar (Silver), Sri Lanka’s Basnayake Kevon Dulkith (Bronze). Under-10: Sri Lanka’s CM Karunasena A P Chenitha Sihas Dinsara (Gold), India’s Parv H Hakani (Silver), India’s Nidhish Shyamal (Bronze). Under-12: India’s CM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma dominated with a perfect 9/9 points (Gold), Singapore’s AFM Aaradhya Suyog Bagul (Silver), Sri Lanka’s CM Wijerathna Vinuka Dihain (Bronze). Under-14: India’s AIM Adhiraj Mitra (Gold), Sri Lanka’s Wickramasinghe V W A Vinuda Vidmal (Silver), India’s FM Reyan Md. (Bronze). Under-16: India’s IM Borgaonkar Akshay (Gold), Sri Lanka’s Induwara T H D Thisarindu (Silver), India’s CM Velavaa Ragavesh (Bronze). Under-18: India’s IM Sriram Adarsh Uppala delivered a dominant performance with 9 points (Gold), India’s Borkhetariya Devarsh M (Silver), Singapore’s Lee Tsuen Jin Aiesec (Bronze). Girls’ youth categories: Under-08: An Indian sweep with Anaya Sharma (Gold), Anvi Deepak Hinge (Silver), and Teesha Byadwal (Bronze). Under-10: India’s Vanshika Rawat (Gold, 8/9 points), Malaysia’s Maha A/P Nathan (Silver), India’s Kiyanna Parihaar (Bronze). Under-12: India’s WCM Divi Bijesh (Gold), Singapore’s Liew Tze Yu (Silver), Australia’s Daniel Suria (Bronze). Under-14: India’s Aditri Shome (Gold, 8.5/9 points), Sri Lanka’s De Silva B P Chanthuli Thanishka (Silver), India’s WFM Saranya Devi Narahari (Bronze). Under-16: Another Indian sweep with FM Prishita Gupta (Gold), Ananya Raman (Silver), and Aswinika Mani R (Bronze). Under-18: India’s Sagar Siya (Gold), India’s WCM Anupam M Sreekumar (Silver), Bangladesh’s WCM Omnia Binta Yusuf Lubaba (Bronze). The championship concluded with a vibrant closing ceremony, where Bharat Singh Chauhan, President of the Commonwealth Chess Association, and Akhramsyah Muammar, President of the Malaysian Chess Federation, presented the awards. The 2025 edition not only celebrated exceptional individual talent but also highlighted the growing depth and competitive spirit across Commonwealth nations, reaffirming the event’s status as a landmark festival of chess. Complete results are available on chess-results.com.
FIDE launches Global Survey on Chess in Education
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced the launch of its Global Survey on Chess in Education, inviting federations, schools, and partner organizations worldwide to participate before February 28, 2026. This initiative aims to gather essential insights to guide FIDE’s Educational Strategy and Action Plan for 2027–2030, ensuring that chess continues to grow as a powerful tool for learning and inclusion. In his official message, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich emphasized the importance of this effort, recalling the success of the 2021 survey which revealed that more than 25 million children and 237,000 teachers and trainers were already engaged in educational chess. Since then, FIDE has expanded training courses, launched certification systems, organized international conferences, and facilitated research projects worldwide. The new survey will: Identify global trends in educational chess and strengthen FIDE’s policies. Support visibility and recognition at the highest international levels, with results to be shared with UNESCO, UNICEF, ministries of education, universities, and NGOs. Encourage participation by confirming that survey responses will be taken into account when awarding Chess in Education grants in 2026. Prepare the ground for a landmark initiative: 2026 has been declared the Year of Chess in Education, celebrating and expanding chess as a medium for learning and growth. FIDE warmly invites all federations, schools, and partner organizations to contribute to this important effort. By participating, stakeholders will help demonstrate the global power of chess as an educational catalyst, attract new sponsorship opportunities, and empower millions of children, teachers, and communities worldwide. The survey is available in English, Spanish, and Russian. Please read the Presidents s letter and access the Global Survey [HERE].