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SRCC Leads After 4 Rounds

SRCC Leads After 4 Rounds

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SRM-A and SRCC Spring 2026 (ICCC) lead the 2026 India College Chess Championship Spring Season after week four in the spring season. Teams JU Team A and SSN are currently in third and fourth places, respectively. 

Standings after Week 4 | Division 1 



*The standings reflect the current status. Some matches between colleges are yet to be played. SRCC has already played the fifth round. 

Interesting Moments

One of the biggest drivers of tactics in chess is something very simple: hanging pieces. GM John Nunn captured this perfectly with the acronym LPDO—Loose Pieces Drop Off—and paired it with another golden rule, KAPP—Keep All Pieces Protected. These ideas become especially important when playing with little time, when calculation drops and instincts take over. Black was already winning, but he was able to execute a tactic in style, thanks to a hanging piece.  Can you spot it?  

In the next example, Black was losing but he made great use of opponent's previous move, 36.Rb8, and the trick worked because of White's back rank weakness. 

After that queen sacrifice exercise, here is a puzzle about hunting the king. Can you find the fastest way to checkmate Black's king?

White missed a last-minute resource to save the game. Can you do better than him?

Winning positions are hard to win because of many reasons. One of the reasons is that the sense of danger can be lost for a moment and that is enough for a position to turn from winning into losing. Check out this example:

Can you find a way to win material as White?

Black intended to double his rooks, but there was a big problem which Black failed to notice. Can you spot the drawback and win as White?

Let's end our puzzle session with a cute trick that White spotted. 

Standings after Round 4 | Division 2

Knightmare, JU Team B, and CIT B are all tied for third place after four rounds. 

Standings after Round 4 | Division 3 

In Division 3, IITK leads with a perfect score, and it remains to be seen if one of the teams will challenge the leaders in the upcoming rounds!

The battle for the top prizes will continue, and we will bring you updates on the next set of rounds soon. You can go to the event's page to follow all the games, results, playing schedule, and more. 

The India College Chess Championship is the premier online chess competition for college students in India. It is a team event starting August 14, 2025, and featuring a $15,000 prize fund.