Kathmandu, July 19, 2025 — On a single Saturday at the Bougainvillea Hall in Tripureswor, the Himalayan Chess Academy wrote another record into Nepalese chess history. The Himalayan 100x2: Rajendra KC Memorial Blitz Tournament drew 247 players to the board — the largest field ever assembled for a blitz chess event in Nepal — and across 19 prize categories spanning players aged 6 to 84, it delivered one of the most festive, inclusive, and competitive chess days the country has seen.

When the final round was complete, FIDE Master Kshitiz Bhandari had claimed the open title with 9.5 points from 11 rounds, and a total prize fund of NPR 67,000 had been distributed across 32 prize winners.

A Record That Means Something

The name of the tournament carries context. This was the second edition of HCA's flagship mass-participation blitz event. The first — held in 2024 to mark the centenary of FIDE's founding — was simply called Himalayan 100, and it made Nepal's name in the world of chess records by entering the Guinness World Records. The 2025 edition, held under the memorial banner of Rajendra KC, was conceived as a continuation of that spirit: a day that combines competitive chess at the highest local level with the widest possible participation across age, experience, and background.

247 players is a remarkable number for any blitz event in South Asia, and it reflects both the growing infrastructure HCA has built since its founding in March 2024 and the appetite for chess that exists across Kathmandu's schools, clubs, and communities. The field included the country's leading FIDE-rated masters alongside children who had been playing for only a few months — all seated in the same hall, playing under the same clock.

The Open Champion: Kshitiz Bhandari

FM Kshitiz Bhandari of Thapathali Chess Park entered as the second seed behind CM Purushottam Silwal (rated 2192) and produced a superb performance to claim the title with 9.5 points, earning NPR 10,000. Bhandari, rated 2173, is one of Nepal's most accomplished active players and a familiar face at the Thapathali Chess Park — a venue that has become a landmark of Kathmandu's chess scene.

CM Purushottam Silwal, the top seed, finished second with 9 points and NPR 7,000 in prize money. Third place went to Muhan Narshing Shrestha with 8.5 points (NPR 5,000), and fourth to Sandesh Shrestha also on 8.5 points, separated on tiebreak (NPR 4,000). FM Rupesh Jaiswal — Nepal's national champion — rounded out the top five on 8 points, earning NPR 3,000. The top ten was completed by Prem Krishna Maharjan, Rishon Thapa, Suroj Maharjan, Prem Khadka, and Purushottam Chaulagain, each receiving NPR 1,000.

Special Categories: Rewarding Every Kind of Player

One of the tournament's defining features was its breadth of recognition. Beyond the open section, 19 separate prize categories ensured that standout performances across every age group, rating band, and player type received formal acknowledgement.

Sindira Joshi — Women's National Champion and a rated player from Pavilions Chess Academy — claimed the Best Women prize with 7 points. The Best Elo Under-1700 award went to Adhis Lamsal (7 points), and the Best Elo Under-1500 category was won by young Arij Rai with 5 points — a solid result for one of HCA's promising students. Tenzi Olo Sherpa won the Best Unrated prize with 7.5 points, an exceptional score for an unrated player competing against a field that included multiple FIDE-rated masters.

The Veterans (S55+) prize went to Sitaram Agrawal, himself a significant figure in Nepalese chess — he is Nepal's first FIDE-rated player and a recipient of HCA's Lifetime Achievement Award. His 7 points at 55+ demonstrated that his competitive fire burns as bright as ever.

Under-15: A Category to Watch

The Under-15 section attracted 19 separate category prizes and produced results that point directly to where Nepalese chess is heading. Harshvardan Rathi of Pavilions Chess Academy took the U-15 title with 7.5 points, ahead of Saatwik Man Tuladhar (HCA, 7 points) and Subhadeep Thapa (Pavilions, 7 points). Sabid Prajapati of Matribhumi School finished fourth with 7 points, and Bibhav Joshi, Pratyus Shrestha, and Hardik Pant all finished on 6.5 points to claim fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively.

Several of these names — Tuladhar, Pant, Prajapati — are recurring figures in HCA events, young players who have been building their competitive experience tournament by tournament since the academy opened. Watching them place against each other in a field of 247 is a measure of how far they have come.

Age Category Honours

The younger age categories showcased the talent coming through at every level. In Under-13, Abin Pandey won the boys' prize with 6.5 points, while Nihana Shrestha of HCA took the girls' prize with 5.5 points. Under-11 saw Arnav Aryal win the boys' section with 6 points — Aryal, already holding the FIDE AIM title, is one of the most watched young players in the country — and Nayuma Magar of HCA win the girls' prize with 5.5 points. In Under-9, Aayan Subedi (5.5 points, boys) and Glossy Shakya (5 points, girls) were the winners, while Under-7 honours went to Ankur Pokhrel (boys) and Ojaswi Rauniyar (girls) with 5 and 3 points respectively.

HCA's internal prizes — awarded to the top-performing students registered with the academy — recognised Prabin KC (5 points) among the boys and Pragya Pant (6 points) among the girls.

A Memorial With a Mission

The Himalayan 100x2 was held in memory of Rajendra KC, a member of the HCA chess community whose passing left a mark on all who knew him. Naming the tournament in his honour was HCA's way of ensuring that his connection to chess — and to the community of players, students, and supporters that the academy has built — continues in the most fitting way possible: through play, through competition, and through the sound of 247 clocks running at once.

HCA Chairperson Monalisha Khamboo noted that the 2025 edition built directly on the legacy of the first Himalayan 100, which earned its Guinness recognition for Nepal. The 100x2 name — doubling the original — reflects both the ambition and the continuity: a tournament that grows each year, brings more players to the game, and keeps Nepal's chess community moving forward.

Full tournament data: Chess-Results — Himalayan 100x2: Rajendra KC Memorial Blitz 2025.