CHESS
Aurionpro Grandmaster Chess to begin in Mumbai from June 16
Over 400 players from 17 countries are expected to compete in the Rs 40 lakh Aurionpro International Grandmaster Chess tournament and junior international event, to be held simultaneously from June 16 to 24.
In the Grandmaster section, the top billing has been given to GM Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia. GM Petrosyan Manuel from Armenia is the second seed while GM Luka Paichadze, also from Georgia, is the third seed.
The 12-year-old FIDE Master Aansh Nerurkar leads the Indian charge in the junior section, with strong challenge expected from Madhesh Kumar of Pondicherry and Maharashtra’s Avirat Chauhan.
The star attraction, however, is 12-year-old woman International Master Oshini Gunawardhana from Sri Lanka, whose presence adds international flair and excitement to the field.
– PTI
GOLF
Talwar on tied-60th despite making the cut at Golf Challenge
Saptak Talwar made the cut at the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge but he continued to struggle after the third round.
With a 3-over 74 his total for the tournament is now three over par and is placed at T-60.
Talwar would be hoping to put together a strong final day to improve his standing for the event.
Having begun his round on the front nine he dropped three shots on the second hole and then spent the rest of the round trying to gain the shots back.
He made birdies on the fifth and seventh holes but dropped a shot on the eighth.
On the back nine Talwar dropped shots on the 10th and 17th holes with a birdie on the 18th to close the round.
– PTI
WRESTLING
U17 world champion Mansi Lather wins trial for junior Asian Championship
Cadet world champion Mansi Lather on Sunday booked her ticket to the U20 Asian Championship to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from July 5-13, after winning the trials in the women’s 68kg category here.
Mansi, who also won a bronze at the senior Asian Championship in March this year, prevailed over Delhi’s Srishti in the final.
Also making the Indian squad in the 57kg weight class was Muksan, who last month won a gold in the UWW Ranking Series Mongolia Open in 59kg. She beat Maharashtra’s Ashlesha Kalyan in the final.
Other women wrestlers who have qualified for the Championships were Shruti (50kg), Saarika (53kg), Reena (55kg), Nehar Sharma (57kg), Anjli (62kg), Harshita (72kg) and Kajal (76kg).
– PTI
