On 6 September the main atrium of Nexus Hyderabad Mall in Kukatpally was given over to chess. Rows of boards ran across the floor, children from across the city sat down to play six rounds each, and families watched from every side. The mall, formerly known as Forum Sujana, has about 0.8 million square feet of leasable space and 218 stores, and by its own published figures it recorded more than 27 lakh visits in the April to June 2026 quarter. A mall that busy rarely hands over its central floor to a children’s tournament, and Nexus did.
Boards set out across the atrium at Nexus Hyderabad on 6 September.
We want to thank the Nexus group. For a mall, the atrium is the most valuable space it has, and Nexus gave it to us for a whole day. It gave it generously: room for every board, room for families to stand and watch from each level, and its own giant screens overhead carrying the championship and its prize pool, so that everyone walking in knew what was happening on the floor. Every child who played did so in one of the best-known malls in the city.
Nexus’s own screens above the atrium carried the championship and its prize pool.
Hyderabad is the second Nexus mall to host the Prime Engage Jr. Chess Championship this season. Nexus Westend in Pune gave us space in August, and Nexus Centre City in Mysuru did the same in October. Nexus Malls belongs to Nexus Select Trust, which describes itself as India’s first publicly listed retail real estate investment trust, with 17 Grade A malls. Pune has 149 stores and an eight-screen Cinepolis. Mysuru has 110 stores and more than 90 premium and international brands. In all three cities a working mall gave up a large part of its floor on a weekend so that children could play chess, and to the Nexus teams in Pune, Hyderabad and Mysuru, thank you, from every player, every parent and everyone at Prime Engage.
A young player with a medal and a gadget prize in front of the championship backdrop, which carries the Nexus Hyderabad logo.
Nexus Hyderabad was our venue partner in the city, with Portronics as gadget partner, YES Securities as financial literacy partner and Radio City as radio partner.
Players in Hyderabad were divided into four age categories, Under 8, Under 10, Under 12 and Under 16, and the winner of each category goes through to the zonal round. Prize money of ₹29,000 for the city was shared among the top five players in each category, and all five received trophies. Every child who played received a medal and a digital certificate. The championship is not a rated event, so results do not affect anyone’s rating.
Prize distribution at the championship backdrop.
Master Sreyansh Thumati won Under 8, with Master Yuvan Rodda as runner-up. He also won Under 10, where Ms. Samiksha Vundyala was the runner-up. In Under 12 the champion was Master Sarvadnya Balgude, with Master Sathvik Gulakaram second. Master Alladi Srivatsan took Under 16, with Master Ehaan Shaikh as runner-up. All the category winners now go on to the zonal round later this season.
More city reports from this season: Jabalpur, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Gwalior, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Kolhapur, Mysuru.
Photos and updates from every city are shared on Instagram at @chess_with_primeengage.
- prime engage junior chess championship
- hyderabad
- nexus hyderabad
