CHESS
Mayank, Pratitee claim grand Asian double for India
India completed a memorable double at the Asian Junior Classical Chess Championship 2026 as Mayank Chakraborty and Pratitee Bordoloi clinched the Open and Girls titles, respectively, in Mumbai.
Top seed Mayank lived up to his billing by finishing the nine-round Open Championship with 7.5 points to claim the coveted gold medal. Russia’s Artem Pingin secured the silver with 7 points, while India’s Daksh Goyal produced an impressive performance to take the bronze with 6.5 points.
Pratitee completed India’s golden double by winning the Girls Championship with 7.5 points from nine rounds. Kazakhstan’s Mariya Kholyavko finished just half a point behind on 7 points to take the silver, while Nivedita V C of India secured the bronze with 6.5 points.
Apart from the medals, the championship also proved highly rewarding for several players who earned coveted FIDE titles and norms. Open champion Mayank Chakraborty, who is already GM-elect, added another Grandmaster norm through his title-winning performance. Bronze medallist Daksh Goyal earned the FIDE Master title as well as an International Master norm.
Girls champion Pratitee Bordoloi enjoyed a double bonus. In addition to the gold medal, she earned the Woman International Master title and also secured a Woman Grandmaster norm. Silver medallist Mariya Kholyavko of Kazakhstan earned a WIM norm, while bronze medallist Nivedita V C of India also secured a WIM norm.
India’s dominance was reflected in the overall medal tally, with the host nation capturing four of the six medals on offer in the Classical Championships – two gold and two bronze. Russia and Kazakhstan shared the remaining honours with one silver medal each.
– Team Sportstar
Apoorv wins Road to GCL rapid title as 80 players earn chance to watch the elite league
Teenager Apoorv Kamble won the Road to GCL FIDE-rated rapid chess tournament at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, as the initiative gave 80 young players the opportunity to watch Season 4 of the Global Chess League live from September 5.
The event attracted more than 700 players across age groups and rating categories. It carried a total prize purse of Rs. 4 lakh.
Kamble, 17, scored 8.5 points from nine rounds to finish first. Sammed Jaykumar Shete took second place, while Vaidyanathan Kannan finished third. The tournament followed a nine-round Swiss format, with a time control of 10 minutes plus a five-second increment.
The winners of the event with their certificates and prizes.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The winners of the event with their certificates and prizes.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Kamble said he had entered the event at the last minute after returning from the Asian Junior Championship in Mumbai. He added that wins over Sameer Shetty and top seed Vishak Enna gave him confidence to face higher-rated opponents.
Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna, who has previously coached reigning world champion Gukesh D, also took part in the event.
The tournament was part of the wider Road2GCL programme, aimed at engaging grassroots players, schools, clubs and local chess communities before the league.
Season 4 of the Global Chess League will be held in Bengaluru from September 5 to 13 and will feature players including Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Arjun Erigaisi, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Levon Aronian, Javokhir Sindarov, Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh.
– Team Sportstar
CRICKET
Utpal, Purnima to get CAB Lifetime Achievement award
International cricketers Utpal Chatterjee and Purnima Choudhary will be conferred the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Lifetime Achievement award at the CAB annual awards function in Kolkata on September 7. Both Utpal and Purnima donned India colours in one-day internationals in the mid-1990s. Former Test cricketer Ashish Nehra will attend the event as a special guest.
– Y. B. Sarangi
MORE SPORTS
Haryana CM honours medal winners of Commonwealth Games
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini with Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games medallists at the Indradhanush Auditorium, in Panchkula on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini with Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games medallists at the Indradhanush Auditorium, in Panchkula on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday honoured the medallists and participating athletes of the 2026 Commonwealth Games at a state-level felicitation ceremony held in Panchkula.
On the occasion, 24 athletes were presented with cash awards amounting to Rs 13.97 crore.
Expressing pride in the achievements of the athletes, Saini said an athlete’s story does not begin with a medal.
“It begins in the soil where they first learnt to run, on the field where they first experienced defeat, and on those mornings when the rest of the world was asleep while they were working towards their dream,” he said.
“The world may see an athlete on the podium for a few moments, but what often remains unseen are the years of struggle that took them there,” he said.
Haryana’s athletes demonstrated their strength and talent before the world in Glasgow, he added.
Saini said Haryana accounts for barely 2 per cent of the country’s total population, yet 24 of the 122 athletes who represented India at the Games were from Haryana, and nearly every second athlete from the state returned with a medal.
Haryana’s athletes won 11 medals, comprising seven gold, two silver and two bronze. Their contribution was more than 28 per cent of India’s total medal tally.
This, he said, is not merely a statistic, but a reflection of Haryana’s sporting talent, hard work and fighting spirit, which has once again raised the pride of the Tricolour on the world stage.
On behalf of Haryana’s nearly 2.75 crore people, Saini extended heartfelt congratulations to every medallist and participating athlete from Haryana who made the country proud in Glasgow.
Saini said athletes have brought glory to the country and the state through their talent, hard work, discipline and determination.
The occasion, he said, is not merely about honouring medals, but also the years of perseverance, struggle and resolve behind them.
The CM expressed confidence that with Haryana’s athletes leading the way, India will emerge as a major global sporting power at the 2028, 2032 and 2036 Olympic Games.
He lauded the performance of Haryana’s women athletes, saying that of the 11 medals won by the state’s athletes, six were won by its daughters, including five gold medals.
Haryana also dominated the boxing ring, with its boxers winning six of India’s seven gold medals in the sport. He said Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria, Sakshi Chaudhary, Priya Ghanghas, Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal defeated their opponents to script golden history.
Referring to para-athlete Sharmila, who won a gold medal, the CM said she had proved that no obstacle can withstand the strength of the human spirit.
Neeraj Chopra once again demonstrated his world-class ability by winning silver in the javelin throw, while boxer Narender Berwal brought laurels to the state with a silver medal.
Saini said that under Haryana’s Outstanding Sportspersons Recruitment Rules, 260 sportspersons have so far been provided Group A, B and C government jobs.
He said the Sports Gradation Policy has also recently been amended.
Athletes participating in the Haryana State Games will now be eligible for sports gradation benefits, enabling them to avail opportunities in government employment and other areas.
Saini said over the past nearly 12 years, the state government has given cash awards worth Rs 742 crore to 17,544 athletes.
– PTI
GOLF
Dagar heads Indian quartet at KPMG Women’s Irish Open
Diksha Dagar will lead a four-member Indian contingent at the 2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open, which begins Thursday at The K Club’s Palmer South Course in County Kildare.
The 20th edition of the Ladies European Tour (LET) event has drawn more than 129 players representing 34 nationalities, with a Euro 450,000 prize purse at stake. The tournament will also see a record 16 Irish players — nine professionals and seven amateurs — compete on home soil.
Dagar, a two-time LET winner, goes into the week as the highest-ranked Indian in the field and one of the country’s most consistent performers on the circuit. The Hero-backed golfer has recorded five Top-10 finishes and four additional Top-20 results this season and currently occupies 11th place on the LET Order of Merit.
Her ability to control the ball and navigate difficult approach shots could be particularly useful at the Palmer South Course, where wind, strategic hazards and demanding greens are expected to test the field.
Dagar will be joined by fellow Hero-backed player Pranavi Urs, teenager Avani Prashanth and the experienced Tvesa Malik.
Urs has enjoyed a solid campaign and currently stands 46th in the LET season rankings. The Mysuru golfer has made 12 cuts in 17 starts and comes into the Irish Open with confidence after being the only Indian to make the weekend at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open two weeks ago. She eventually finished tied 38th.
Prashanth, meanwhile, brings plenty of promise to the Indian line-up. The 18-year-old rookie secured her full LET card earlier this season and returns to competition after taking a break during the Swiss event.
The teenager has already produced several impressive performances in her debut season. She finished tied third with Dagar at the Dutch Ladies Open and followed that with another strong showing at the Jabra Ladies Open, where she was tied fifth. Her recent form makes her one of the players capable of making a breakthrough in Ireland.
Malik completes the Indian quartet and will be looking to bounce back after missing the cut in Switzerland. The seasoned campaigner has already shown her ability to challenge for high finishes this season, highlighted by her tied-fifth effort at the Jabra Ladies Open.
The Indian players will face a strong home challenge led by Solheim Cup star Leona Maguire. The World No. 82 is the only Irish player to have won on the LET, having captured the individual title at the 2024 Aramco Team Series – London.
Maguire will be among the biggest attractions at The K Club as the Irish contingent attempts to create history. Despite the event reaching its 20th edition, there has never been a home winner.
With a record number of Irish players chasing that breakthrough and an increasingly competitive Indian contingent looking to make its mark, the KPMG Women’s Irish Open promises an absorbing week of LET action.
For Dagar, the tournament also presents an opportunity to strengthen her position inside the Order of Merit’s top 15, while Urs, Prashanth and Malik will be targeting another strong result on European soil.
– PTI
SQUASH
Chotrani, Senthilkumar in Budapest squash quarters
Veer Chotrani and Velavan Senthilkumar advanced to the quarterfinals of the Budapest Open, a USD 43,500 PSA Copper event in the Hungarian Capital.
World No 38 Chotrani, the third seed, beat Rui Soares of Portugal 13-11,12-14, 11-9, 12-10 in the pre-quarterfinals following a first-round bye in the new season.
World No 54 Senthilkumar, the eighth seed, defeated German fifth seed Raphael Kandra 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-2 in the pre-quarterfinals after putting it past Briton Will Salter 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 in the opening round.
-Team Sportstar
Published on Aug 26, 2026
