Chess: Pranav Venkatesh crowned world junior blitz champion

India's Pranav Venkatesh was crowned the world champion at the 2026 FIDE World Junior Blitz Championship on Friday.Pranav's title run at the United Arab Emirates came just days after he had won a silver medal in the rapid section.The 20-year-old from Chennai, who was crowned the junior world champion in the classical time control last year, scored 10.5 points from 13 rounds at the 2026 FIDE World Junior Blitz Championship.Pranav Venkatesh clinches the world title at the FIDE World Junior Blitz Championship.♟️🇮🇳👑 The 20-year-old scored 10.5 points from 13 rounds to clinch the title in the UAE. He had earlier won silver in the rapid section and was also crowned junior world champion in the classical format last year.🔥🔥 In the women’s blitz, Aamuktha Guntaka finished fourth with nine points, while IM Savitha Shri secured seventh place with 8.5 points. #chess #worldblitzchampionship #Indports— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) November 7, 2026 Pranav finished a point clear of the three players, who shared the second spot with 9.5 points.In the women's blitz championship, Aamuktha Guntaka finished fourth with 9 points in 13 rounds to emerge as the best-performing Indian. Meanwhile, IM Savitha Shri, who had starred during India's medal win at the 2026 Chess Olympiad earlier this year, finished seventh with 8.5 points.Savitha was also India's top performer in the FIDE Women's World Junior Rapid Championship earlier, finishing ninth with 5.5 points.