CHESS
Top seeds advance in first round of Asian Junior Classical Championship
The prestigious Asian Junior Open and Girls Classical Chess Championships 2026 got underway in Mumbai, with the top seeds largely justifying their ratings in the opening round of the nine-round championship.
The championship received a special boost with the presence of Indian Super Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, who inaugurated the Classical Championship and made the ceremonial first move before the start of Round One.
The opening round witnessed few major surprises on the top boards as the higher-rated players asserted their superiority. Top seed Mayank Chakraborty began his campaign with a comfortable victory. However, two of the leading contenders were held to draws by lower-rated opponents. IM Vignesh Advaith Vemula was forced to share the point with Neemay Bhanushali, while FM Akhilbay Imangali of Kazakhstan was held by Rishaan Jain. These early setbacks could prove significant in a closely contested championship.
The opening round in the Girls section, however, produced a couple of notable upsets. WFM Swara Lakshmi S. Nair was held to a draw by Vakcheri Mohitha despite enjoying a significant rating advantage, while Aadya Gowda scored an impressive victory over the higher-rated WFM Mrittika Mallick. Another surprise result saw Liliya Belaya of Uzbekistan defeat the higher-rated Archita Agrawal of India.
The Girls Championship has attracted players from seven federations and promises to be equally competitive. The top three seeds, WFM Pratitee Bordoloi of India, WFM Mariya Kholyavko of Kazakhstan and WFM Shohradova Lala of Turkmenistan, all opened their campaigns with convincing victories to move into the lead group after the first round.
-Team Sportstar
CRICKET
Super Kings Academy launches 50th center globally
Super Kings Academy has further strengthened its presence in Tamil Nadu with the launch of its seventh centre in Chennai, located at Vaishnava Sports Academy in Arumbakkam.
This will be a historic 50 th center for Super Kings Academy. Super Kings Academy now operates centres globally across India, the USA, Canada, Australia and Singapore, making it one of the most extensive cricket academy networks in the world.
The latest SKA centre is equipped with three Turf pitches, four Astro Turf pitches, two matting pitches and floodlights, providing aspiring cricketers with access to quality infrastructure and a professional training environment.
-Team Sportstar
Published on Aug 20, 2026
