Latest news with #VantikaAgrawal
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
World Women's Chess Cup: Vantika held to draw by Shohradeva in first round
India's Woman Grandmaster Vantika Agrawal was held to a draw by Turkmenistan's Lela Shohradeva in the first round of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup here on Sunday. There were not many surprises on the opening day when as many as 86 players competed to progress to the second round. The top three finishers at the World Women's Chess Cup will qualify for the prestigious Candidates' tournament. India's Koneru Humpy, D Harika, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh have been directly granted entry in to the second round by virtue of their ratings and the other five Indian girls had mixed results on the opening day. Vantika, as black, did get as many chances as she might have liked against Turkmenistan's Lela Shohradeva. But her calculation did not back her well in the middle game, which was about equal. The endgame appeared soon with rooks on board, and despite being a pawn less, it was clear that it was headed to a draw. Former national women's champion, Padmini Rout and P V Nandhidhaa won their openers, while Kiran Manisha Mohanty and K Priyanka crashed out of the tournament. ALSO READ: Carlsen wins GCT 2025 Zagreb; Gukesh finishes third, Praggnanandhaa ends in ninth Rout came up with a fine effort to beat Zhang Linin of China, while Nandhidhaa got the better of Ortiz Verdezoto Anahi of Ecuador. It was a tough draw for the two other Indian women in the fray as Yuxin Song defeated Mohanty, while Hungary's Zsoka Gal scored a win over Priyanka. A second game and a tiebreak will be played to decide who will make it to the round of 64. The total prize pool of the event is 6,91,250 USD. Top pairings round 1: Carissa Yip (Usa) beat Hannah Wilson (Bar); Evi Yuliana (Ina) lost to Stavroula Tsolakidou (Gre); Bella Khotenashvili (Geo) beat Caxita Esperanca (Ang); Ning Isabelle Yixuan (Nzl) drew with Valentina Gunina (Fid); Anna Ushenina (Ukr) beat Jesse February (Rsa); Ruelle Canino (Phi) lost to Anna Shukhman (Fid); Yuxin Song (Chn) beat Kiran Manisha Mohanty (Ind); Tania Miranda Rodriguez (Mex) lost to Kulon Klaudia (Pol); Azhar Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa (Mas) lost to Antoaneta Stefanova (Bul); Zsoka Gaal (Hun) beat K Priyanka (Ind); Lala Shohradova (Tkm) drew with Vantika Agrawal (Ind); Padmini Rout (Ind) beat Zhang Lanlin (Chn); Ortiz Verdezoto Anahi (Ecu) lost to P V Nandhidhaa
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'In North India, we're trained thugs': The harsh truth behind the nation's North-South divide
NEW DELHI: In the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, those from the North and the South had a contrasting approach towards dominance, survival, and eventually success. The blood and instinct of the North were met with the alliance-building of the South. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Along those lines, a similar story is playing out in Indian chess. 23-year-old Vantika Agrawal, a double gold medallist from the 2024 Chess Olympiad and an Arjuna Awardee, says she feels let down by the way chess is perceived in the northern part of the country. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "In North India, there is no culture of chess," the Uttar Pradesh-born Grandmaster tells "If someone asks what you do here, and you say, 'I'm a chess player,' their response is usually, 'Okay, but what do you actually do? What are you studying?' I think it's still the same story, even after winning so many medals. People still ask, 'Chess is fine, but what do you really do?'" Her words land like a checkmate: honest, sharp, and damning. And she is not alone.
