
World Champion D Gukesh wins rapid title at Grand Chess Tour 2025 Zagreb
Day 3 began with a quiet draw against Dutch GM Anish Giri, as the players reached a near-locked middlegame and shook hands. The second game of the day - against Croatia's Ivan Aric—was a lengthy contest where Gukesh employed the Marshall Gambit. The 87-move encounter eventually ended in a draw, but showed Gukesh's readiness to fight for every inch.Carlsen made an encouraging start to the final day, defeating Fabiano Caruana in his opening game, but a subsequent draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov put paid to his chances of closing the gap. Duda, the only player to defeat Gukesh in Zagreb, finished second, his consistency keeping the pressure alive until the end.R. Praggnanandhaa, the other Indian on the field, had a more subdued outing. He picked up one win - against Aric—and drew seven of his nine games, finishing with nine points. While off the pace in Zagreb, the 18-year-old remains a strong contender in the overall standings, having won the Bucharest leg and secured third place in Warsaw.The blitz section of the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz gets underway on Saturday and concludes on 6 July. Combined points from both formats will determine the overall winner.With two more stops to follow - in the United States (August) and Brazil (September-October) - Gukesh's imperious form in Zagreb could prove a defining moment in what is shaping up to be a landmark year for Indian chess.- Ends
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
36 minutes ago
- News18
Yashasvi Jaiswal Becomes Fastest Indian Batter To Score 2000 Runs In Tests
Last Updated: The ongoing 2nd India-England Test is Jaiswal's 21st Test match for India. He broke Sunil Gavaskar's record of completing 2000 runs for India in 23 Tests. Yashasvi Jaiswal is India's highest-ranked batter in Test cricket, and on Friday (July 4), during the third day's play of the ongoing 2nd India-England Test in Birmingham, he entered his name in the record books by becoming the fastest Indian batter (in terms of matches played) to score 2000 runs in Test cricket. Jaiswal needed 10 runs in the second innings to complete 2000 runs in Tests, and he achieved the objective by hitting Brydon Carse for a four on the first ball of the sixth over. The second India-England Test is Yashasvi's 21st Test for India. Before him, the record of being the fastest Indian batter to score 2000 runs in Tests was held by Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar crossed the 2000-run mark in his 23rd red-ball match which was played against the West Indies in Port of Spain from April 7 to 12 in 1976. Gautam Gambhir is third on the list with 24 Tests whereas Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag completed 2000 runs in their 25th Test for India. Fastest Indian batters to score 2000 runs in Tests (in terms of matches) The overall record of being the fastest batter in the world to score 2000 runs in Test cricket is in the name of legendary Don Bradman. Bradman crossed the 2000-run mark in his 15th Test for the Australian team. Fastest to 2000 runs in Tests (by matches) In terms of innings, Jaiswal has equalled Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag's record. During their playing days, Dravid and Sehwag also crossed the 2000-run mark in their 40th Test innings. Fastest Indian batters to score 2000 runs in Tests (in terms of innings) By crossing the 2000-run mark in his 40th innings, Jaiswal also equalled Rohit Sharma's record of being the fastest Indian batter to score 2000 runs in WTC. Like Jaiswal, Rohit also crossed the 2000-run mark in WTC in his 40th innings. Get latest Cricket news, live score and match results on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : India cricket team India vs England India vs England 2025 sunil gavaskar test cricket Yashasvi Jaiswal Location : Birmingham First Published:


NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Shubman Gill, Indian Bowlers Blasted By Ravi Shastri, Others: "Can't Believe It." Reason Is Grim
The Indian cricket team is in a great position in the second Test against England. The Shubman Gill -led side are 244-run ahead with two days to go in the Test match. India took a 180-run lead in the first innings after scoring 578. The lead could have been much bigger after England were reduced to 84/5 at one stage. But then Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (184*) looked like taking the game away with a solid stand. Several former cricketers criticised the Indian cricket team for letting England off the hook and thus jeopardising their chances of winning the match. India had lost the first Test. Former India coach Ravi Shastri criticised India to a defensive field setting "Cant believe it. You are trailing (leading) by 470 and you have one slip and gully," Shastri said on air while commentating with Michael Atherton (via Cricbuzz). Former India pacer Varun Aaron said India got too aggressive after India reduced England to five-down. 'I think India allowed this counterpunch by the English batsmen. If you see what worked really well for India last evening and even this morning, it was bowling at the right length. But the moment India got Stokes' wicket, they got a bit too aggressive on a flat wicket. Too many bouncers, too many short balls. On a slow pitch, when none of your bowlers are consistently pushing the 145 kph mark, you cannot afford to bowl that many short deliveries. Indian bowlers have the skill to keep it on that ideal length — keep hitting the stumps. Sustained pressure is what gets you wickets. You can't expect things to happen immediately all the time," he said. He went on to praise England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith. 'Jamie Smith is a gifted and very brave batter. He's not hesitating to take on the challenge at all. With almost six to seven fielders packed on the leg side, it takes real courage to play those shots — it shows how much belief he has in his ability and the trust the team has placed in him. He's a talented player, not just in red-ball cricket but in the white-ball format too. Bright days ahead — but he'll need to convert this into a daddy hundred,' he said.


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘Sensational' Mohammed Siraj relishes leadership role: ‘Been waiting for a moment like this for over a year'
Relishing the opportunity to lead the Indian bowling attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj described his six-wicket haul as 'sensational'. The pacer's 6/70 gave India the edge in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. England batsmen Jamie Smith (184 not out off 207) and Harry Brook (158 off 234) threatened to take the game away on the third day at Edgbaston. But Siraj pulled India back into the match by taking four of the last five wickets, including that of England captain Ben Stokes, who was out for a duck. India bowled out England 407, and ended the day at 64/1 to take a 244-run lead heading into Day 4. Speaking after the day's play, Siraj told broadcasters JioHostar: 'This feeling is unbelievable. I'd been waiting for a moment like this for over a year. I always bowled well but wickets didn't come. Today, the morning session felt good but still no breakthrough — so these six wickets are really special. The pitch was slow, but I knew I had a responsibility.' India's pace-bowling unit has been under scanner in the last two away Test series — against Australia and now England — especially after the team management decided to manage Jasprit Bumrah's workload. Bumrah has been rested for the ongoing Test against England and is likely to sit out for at least one of the three remaining matches. Reflecting on his spell, Siraj said his mindset was to 'keep it tight and not give away runs'. 'The wicket was very slow but when you are given a responsibility to lead the attack, my aim was to not try too much and just bowl in the right areas and bowl with discipline. My mindset was to keep it tight and not give away runs,' he said. 'It's Akash Deep's third or fourth match, same for Prasidh (Krishna), so I was just focused on staying consistent and building pressure. I feel like trying different things, but I have to stay consistent.' The pacer he 'loved the challenge' to lead the attack in Bumrah's absence. 'I've played 38 Tests, so my aim was to bring stability. With 600 runs on the board, I didn't want to go hunting for wickets—I just wanted to be consistent. I love responsibility, I love challenges. I've seen many challenges in life, and I feel I perform best when there's a burden on my shoulders,' he said.