Grand Chess Tour: Gukesh in joint lead with Carlsen and Wesley So after day one
Starting the day with a loss against Duda, Gukesh overpowered a reckless Alireza Firouzja of France before defeating compatriot R Praggnanandhaa to reach on four points out of a possible six.
Carlsen beat Wesley So and drew his remaining two games against local star Ivan Saric and Duda to match Gukesh on points, while Wesley was the only other player involved in all decisive games, apart from Gukesh, as he put it across his US compatriot Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri of Holland.
In-form Praggnanandhaa had a tough day in office as he drew with Firouzja and Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan with the loss against Gukesh costing him dearly.
With six rounds still to come in the rapid section, and 18 thereafter in the blitz, it's early days but Carlsen still remains the firm favourite in his second favourite version after freestyle chess.
With four players in front, Giri and Saric are close behind with three points apiece and then a group of four players -- Caruana, Abdusattorov, Firouzja and Praggnanandhaa -- follow then with two points each.
In the rapid section, two points are awarded for a victory while in blitz there will be one point for each win.
Gukesh was not disheartened after his first-round loss and came up with a fine effort. "Duda just got a nice position and played well," said Gukesh after the end of the day.
Firouzja got a bit impatient against the Indian, while Praggnanandhaa simply blundered.
Carlsen was held by Saric in a game played well by the Croatian, and his second-round victory was pretty much Carlsensque as he ground down Wesley in the endgame that lasted 75 moves.
Standing after round 3: 1-4: Magnus Carlsen (Nor); Duda Jan-Krzysztof (Pol); Wesley So (USA), D Gukesh (Ind) 4 each; 5-6: Ivan Saric (Cro); Anish Giri (Ned) 3 each; 7-10; Fabiano Caruana (USA); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb); Alireza Firouzja (Fra); R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) 2 each.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
33 minutes ago
- NDTV
Ahead Of NC Classic, Neeraj Chopra's Defining Demand In Athletics: "What I Want In India..."
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra is living a dream of competing in a javelin event that bears his name and believes that it is start of something significant in Indian athletics which now needs multiple world class events. The Neeraj Chopra Classic, which will feature top-class athletes, is set to take place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday. Chopra said he will try to upscale the event in the coming years. "I feel like I'm in a dream. Medals are a different thing. But I've given something like this to India and to Indian athletes. I'm very happy about that. This is the beginning of a new chapter in our athletics," Chopra said in a pre-event press meet here Friday. "The support I'm getting from everyone. From the government, from KOA (Karnataka Olympic Association), from World Athletics, from the sponsors… I feel like we can make this event even better." Chopra said he wanted to make the athletic competitions in India comparable to the events which are held regularly in the traditional powerhouses like the USA or European nations. "This is the beginning of international competitions in India. As we see, there are so many international competitions in Germany and such nations - A category, B, C etc and every week, there's a competition. "So, this is what I want in India, as there should be at least 4, 5, 6 competitions which are world class. The athletes should get a chance and people should see them play. That will be very good for our sport," he explained. While he is very much involved in the conduct of the event, the star athlete said he has not diverted his focus from acing an elite field here on Saturday, and keeping his preparation on track for the upcoming World Championships. "The athlete in me is always up (for the competition). That's why I'm trying to manage everything. My team is also handling so many things. But the athlete in me is always up. I'm training hard," he said. "After doing everything, I train. I did throw sessions, too. So, yes. I have a mindset for that ahead of tomorrow's competition." While winning the event that has been named after him remains his immediate priority, Chopra is aware that he has a bigger challenge coming his way in the World Championships in Tokyo in September. The ace Indian javelin thrower said he has his eyes firmly set on the blue riband event. "Of course, tomorrow's competition is very important and after that we will start preparing for the World Championships. I'm very happy to be here with the coach (Jan Zelezny). Yesterday, I was training in the gym with the coach. This is the kind of competition that will be the target ahead of the World Championship," he noted. Beyond the personal glory moment, Chopra was also excited to see a world class event taking place in India. "I'm very happy that this is finally happening. I was at the gym yesterday and I saw other athletes throwing and that has been my dream. I will say it again that I never thought there would be an event like this. "I never thought I would represent India and win a medal. All that has happened. Now, there's peace in my mind that something like this is happening." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Times
33 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan's squash player makes obscene finger gesture towards opponent after loss, storms out without handshake
In a startling turn of events at the Asian Junior Squash Championship, Pakistani Under-17 player Mehwish Ali stirred controversy after making an obscene gesture toward her opponent following a hard-fought Round of 16 clash. Pakistan's junior squash player has drawn controversy for her obscene gesture(X) The 17-year-old was seen making an offensive finger gesture towards Hong Kong's Chung Y L shortly after the conclusion of their match, which ended with scores of 13-11, 5-11, 11-13, 4-11 in favour of Chung. The unsportsmanlike act, captured on video, quickly went viral across social media platforms, drawing widespread criticism and raising questions about on-court conduct and discipline in junior sports. Watch: The Pakistan player had initially extended her arm for a handshake, but Chung was celebrating, seemingly with her team at the time. Annoyed by this and her loss, Ali showed the obscene gesture and left the court without a handshake, even as Chung promptly returned. It remains to be seen whether she will be punished for the unsportsmanlike conduct. This is not the first time a junior Pakistan player has ignited controversy for their unruly behaviour. During the U16 Davis Cup tie in Kazakhstan this May, a Pakistani player stirred controversy with a disrespectful handshake gesture after defeat. The Indian player stayed composed, walking away without reacting. Pakistan at Asian Junior Squash Championships Pakistan have otherwise asserted some dominance at the Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Gimcheon, as five of its players stormed into the semifinals with commanding performances on Thursday. Each of the five Pakistani contenders secured straight-game victories (3-0). In the Boys' Under-19 division, third seed Abdullah Nawaz delivered a confident performance against Hong Kong's Wong Wing Kuen. Controlling the tempo from the outset, Nawaz never allowed his opponent to find rhythm, sealing a straight-games victory with scores of 11-4, 11-6, 11-6. Meanwhile, in the Boys' Under-15 category, top seed Nauman Khan showcased agility in his 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 win over India's Harshal Rana. Joining him in the last four was fellow countryman Ahmad Rayyan Khan, who made short work of Malaysia's Armann Merzha bin Ashraff. The Boys' Under-13 competition also saw a strong Pakistani showing, as top seed Muhammad Sohail Adnan powered through his quarterfinal clash against India's Abhyuday Arora. On the girls' side, Mahnoor Ali delivered one of the standout performances of the day in the Under-17 category. Facing India's Anika Kalanki, Mahnoor was clinical and composed, beating the Indian 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 victory to book her spot in the semifinals.
India Gazette
37 minutes ago
- India Gazette
"He has established a new generation today": Sidhu lauds Gill after his 269-run knock
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu hailed the newly appointed Test captain Shubham Gill following his magnificent innings on the second day of the Birmingham Test at Edgbaston against England. Gill produced a knock for ages, breaking several records with a 387-ball 269 on day two at Birmingham on Thursday. Speaking on his official social media handle, X, Sidhu said, 'Captain Shubman Gill has established a new generation today. From a prince to a king, and a king is the one who makes the empire grow. Don't look at 270 runs, look at the impact of 270 runs. He built a 203-run partnership with number 7 and a 103-run partnership with Washington Sundar.' Shubman Gill gave a massive upgrade to Indian cricket history books with a stroke-filled, marathon double ton against England in the second Test at Birmingham. He is only the sixth Indian to score a 250-plus score in Tests, joining the elite company of Virender Sehwag, who did it four times, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Karun Nair and Virat Kohli. Gill is the first Indian to do so outside of the Indian subcontinent; the previous best was Sachin's masterclass of 241* against Australia at Sydney in 2004. He joined Rahul Dravid (217 at The Oval in 2002) and Sunil Gavaskar (221 at The Oval in 1979) to become the third player to score a double ton for India in England against England in Tests. Gill became the first-ever Indian captain to reach the double ton against England in England, outdoing Mohammad Azharuddin's 179 at Old Trafford in 1990. Also, with a quick flurry of boundaries after the milestone, he leapfrogged past legendary Sunil Gavaskar's 221 at The Oval in 1979 to have the highest-ever individual score by an Indian in England. Gill joined the elite company of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rohit Sharma to become the fourth Indian with a century in Tests and ODIs both. Gill also surpassed Kohli's 254* against South Africa in 2019 to have the highest score ever by an Indian captain. Gill also became the third Indian captain with a 150-plus Test score before turning 26, after Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (twice) and Sachin Tendulkar. This is also the second instance of a double ton by an Indian skipper overseas, nine years after Virat Kohli's 200 against West Indies back in 2016 at North Sound. The 25-year-old strokeplayer also became the first Asian captain with a double century in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia (SENA), the previous best score being 193 by Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan at Lord's in 2011. He is the second-youngest Indian captain to score a Test double ton at the age of 25 years and 298 days, below Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi against England in Delhi back in 1964 at the age of 23 years and 39 days. Also, there have been 11 double centuries hit by captains in England, four from the hosts and seven others from visiting teams. It is only South African legend Graeme Smith, who reached the milestone at a younger age than Gill, with knocks of 277 and 259 in back-to-back Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's in 2003, the first of these coming at the age of 22 years and 175 days. It took Gill only three innings as a captain to reach his double ton, the joint-quickest for India, alongside Sunil Gavaskar (205 vs WI, Wankhede, 1978). (ANI)
