January 2026 was an action-packed month for Chess Gaja students, with strong performances across multiple states, impressive rating gains, and consistent competitive spirit. From Florida to Texas, California to Georgia and beyond, our players demonstrated growth, resilience, and dedication at the board.
Florida (Estero, Saint Petersburg & Orlando)
Dhriti had a busy and valuable tournament run across Florida. At the 9th Annual Gulf Coast New Year’s Open in Estero on 4.01.2026, she scored 1.5/5 and improved her rating from 977 to 995 (+18). She followed this with participation in the 1st Annual Tampa Bay New Year’s Open in Saint Petersburg on 11.01.2026, gaining further experience. Later, at the CFCC 2026 Winter Open in Orlando on 18.01.2026, she scored 2.0/8, continuing to build competitive exposure at the higher level.
Georgia (Johns Creek, Snellville & Cumming)
Atharv delivered some of the most eye-catching performances of the month. At the Chesstronics Johns Creek Jan 2026 Pizza Scholastic on 10.01.2026, he scored a perfect 3.0/3, jumping from 539 to 610 (+71). He followed this up at the 24th MLK Jr-2026 GA State Scholastic in Snellville on 18.01.2026 with 4.0/5, improving again from 610 to 618 (+8).
The highlight came in Cumming at the C.L. Jan-2025 Bethelview PTO on 24.01.2026, where he scored another perfect 3.0/3 and recorded a massive rating gain from 618 to 762 (+144) — one of the biggest jumps of the month.
Texas (Plano & Arlington)
In Plano, Shankaranarayanan competed in the MLK Scholastic on 19.01.2026, scoring 3.0/4 and moving up from 1593 to 1602 (+9), showing steady progress at a strong rating level.
Yugan also played in Plano at the Frisco Swiss on 18.01.2026, scoring 3.0/4 and maintaining a stable high rating around 1812–1813, reflecting consistency against tough opposition.
In Arlington, Tarun performed well at the SKCA Arlington Quads on 24.01.2026, scoring 2.0/4 and gaining +62 points (1043 to 1105) — a strong jump that shows clear improvement.
California (Milpitas & Concord)
Tharsikan competed in Milpitas at the 2026 CalChess Age Level Championship on 24.01.2026, scoring 2.0/5 and gaining +49 points (747 to 796), a solid boost from competitive play.
In Concord, Ammar took part in the 17th Annual Golden State Open on 20.01.2026, scoring 3.0/7 and improving his rating from 1140 to 1156 (+16), showing steady progress in a strong open field.
New York (Latham)
Priyansh delivered an excellent performance at UFC #165: Knight vs Bishop on 24.01.2026 in Latham, scoring 3.5/4 and increasing his rating from 2237 to 2248 (+11). At this high level, every point gained is significant, making this a particularly impressive result.
Massachusetts (Framingham)
Rishi competed in MCC – 2026-01 on 28.01.2026 in Framingham, scoring 2.5/4 and gaining +47 points (809 to 856) — a strong performance that reflects growing confidence and improving results.
Every tournament tells a story—sometimes it’s a breakthrough performance, sometimes it’s steady improvement, and sometimes it’s valuable experience gained the hard way. January’s results reflect the Chess Gaja spirit: work hard, stay disciplined, and trust the process.
