Thank You DGT Khelo Chess India Blitz!! Angela Crowned Champion

by Niklesh Jain - 01/04/2026

During the ongoing 2nd Khelo Chess India Classical FIDE Rating Tournament in Bhopal, a special event titled “Thank You DGT Blitz” was organized, where Colombia’s number one player and Woman International Master Angela Franco claimed the title. Scoring an impressive 7 points out of 8 rounds, Angela secured first place. Madhya Pradesh’s Vedant Bhardwaj and Nitin Ranghuvanshi scored 6.5 points each, finishing second and third respectively on tiebreaks. This event was specially organized to express gratitude to DGT, which has now become a partner in the Khelo Chess India initiative. Going forward, DGT chess clocks and boards will be used to help broadcast matches to a wider audience.

Woman International Master Angela wins Thank You DGT Khelo Chess India Blitz

As part of the Khelo Chess India Classical FIDE Rating Tournament in Bhopal, a special “Thank You DGT Blitz” competition was held on Sunday, March 29. Colombia’s WIM Angela Franco emerged as the winner with 7 points from 8 rounds. Vedant Bhardwaj secured second place on better tiebreaks with 6.5 points, while Nitin Ranghuvanshi finished third with the same score. A total of 45 players participated in the event, nearly half of them FIDE-rated. This marked the 15th blitz event under Khelo Chess India and the 81st event overall.

What is Khelo Chess India?

International Master Anuj Shrivastava had won the Khelo Chess India Rapid and Blitz Rating titles held in January.

The Khelo Chess India initiative began in January 2023 in Bhopal with the aim of providing players a strong platform at minimal entry fees. The vision was not necessarily to organize very large events, but to ensure consistent opportunities for players through regular competitions across different formats. Accordingly, rapid, blitz, and classical events have been conducted in Swiss, round-robin, and team formats. These events have also been organized across open, age-group, and inter-school categories. Today, within just three years, Khelo Chess India has become the most active tournament series in Madhya Pradesh, and the target for this year is to reach 100 events.

In April 2025, International Master Ayush Sharma won the Khelo Chess India Rapid Blitz Round Robin Masters title.

Since the inception of Khelo Chess India, Madhavendra Pratap Sharma has secured multiple titles. Currently an Asian Under-12 champion and a FIDE Master, he also holds one International Master norm and has a current FIDE rating of 2353.

In 2024, International Master Sagar Shah visited Bhopal, giving a new direction to this initiative by sharing his time and experience with the chess community.

Our Initiative Receives Support from DGT!!

DGT is a well-known name for every chess enthusiast—whether it is chess clocks or electronic boards that enable live broadcasting of games. By integrating technology into chess, DGT has played a significant role in the development of the sport. Recently, when we wrote to DGT CEO Hans Pijpers about the Khelo Chess India initiative and our goal of reaching a wider audience, he immediately expressed interest in supporting the project. We have since received DGT chess clocks and boards as a gift, and we are confident that this support will further strengthen and accelerate our efforts.

In the final round of the Thank You DGT Blitz, WIM Angela Franco defeated Ram Gupta to clinch the title.

View of the Top 4 Boards

Tournament Hall

Top Three Players

Best Under-12 Winner

Best Under-10 Winner

With this collaboration, upcoming Khelo Chess India events will now be available for live viewing.Thank you, DGT!

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"Thank You DGT" #Event 81-15th Khelo Chess India Blitz Tournament 2026

Final Ranking after 8 Rounds