Mumbai, Aug. 18 -- Hosts India made a strong start to the Asian Junior Chess Championship 2026, bagging the top spots in the Open and girls' Blitz Championship on the opening day of the event held here on Monday. Vignesh Vermula won the Open championship, while Saranya Devi clinched the girls' title. The biggest surprise of the tournament came from Vermula, who started the event as the 23rd seed but produced a remarkable performance to emerge the Asian Junior Open Blitz champion. Displaying exceptional speed, tactical alertness and consistency throughout the competition, Vignesh finished tied on points with compatriots Sharnarthi Viresh and Nandish VS, but secured the title on superior tie-break scores. Viresh claimed the silver medal, while Nandish completed an all-India podium. It was a day of underdogs in the girls' section as well with Saranya, seeded 9th, impressing with her quick thinking and tactical precision to win the title. The top seed, Shohradova Lala of Turkmenistan, claimed silver, while India's Sannidhi Bhat finished third. Game Changers Lions were crowned champions of the World Padel League season 4 after beating Aussie Mavericks Jaguars 19-10 in the final. This was the team's first league title....