Manya Balani produced one of the biggest upsets of Round 4 at the All India Chess Masters – Season 4 by defeating higher-rated AGM Rajveer Pinkesh Nahar in 35 moves. The Mumbai tournament also saw victories for top seed Shreyansh Somaiya, Reyaansh Venkat, Dhruv Muthe and Janhavi Soneji as the race for top honours intensified.

Mumbai, May 24, 2026: Round 4 of the All India Chess Masters – Season 4 witnessed several competitive encounters, with Manya Balani (1653) producing an impressive upset victory over higher-rated AGM Rajveer Pinkesh Nahar (1801) at the Mumbai Chess Centre, hosted at the Russian House, Pedder Road, Mumbai.

Playing with the black pieces, Manya adopted a solid kingside fianchetto setup in the opening before the game quickly transformed into an exciting opposite-side castling battle. Both players launched aggressive attacks against each other’s kings, creating sharp tactical complications in the middlegame.

Manya converted her advantage convincingly and secured an impressive victory in just 35 moves.

Top boards witness intense competition