Biel Chess festival: Karthikeyan Murali stays in front
biel (switzerland), Aug 1: Indian Grandmaster Karthikeyan Murali defeated higher-rated compatriot S P Sethuraman in the sixth round here on Sunday to grab the lead in the Master Tournament being held as part of the Biel Chess Festival here. The 37-move win for Karthikeyan (Elo 2606 as against his opponent’s 2644) took him to 5.5 points from six rounds and gave him a clear lead in the 73-player field. He has won four straight games. India’s teenaged Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who was in joint second place after five rounds, was beaten by Ukraine’s Pavel Eljanov in 57 moves. While Eljanov is on five points, Praggnanandhaa has four points after six rounds. Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi (4.5 points), who started the tournament with four wins and a draw in his first five rounds, lost to Viktor Erdos in the sixth round. (PTI)
Aston Villa confirms agreement to sign winger Leon Bailey
BIRMINGHAM, Aug 1: Aston Villa has announced an agreement to sign winger Leon Bailey from German club Bayer Leverkusen. The English Premier League team said Saturday it has a transfer deal in place “subject to the player completing a medical and finalizing personal terms.” The 23-year-old Jamaica winger scored 15 goals to go with 11 assists across all competitions last season for Leverkusen. He played four-plus seasons with the German squad after joining from Genk in Belgium. (AP)
Chennaiyin FC sign Kyrgyz forward Mirlan Murzaev
Chennai, Aug 1: Two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC (CFC) on Sunday announced the signing of Kyrgyzstan forward Mirlan Murzaev on a one-year deal ahead of the upcoming season. The forward becomes the first Kyrgyz player to feature in India’s premier football league. An experienced campaigner, Murzaev is currently the top goal-scorer for Kyrgyzstan and also the second most capped player with 48 international appearances. (PTI)
Sharma, Bhullar 27th; Tvesa, Dagar exit in Northern Ireland
Ballymena, Aug 1: Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar moved up to Tied 27th place but Tvesa Malik and Diksha Dagar exited from the ISPS HANDA World Invitational, here. With rounds of 70-69-67 Sharma moved to 4-under and was Tied-27th. Also at T-27 was Bhullar (72-67-67) who had four birdies against one bogey for his 67. The Indian women Tvesa Malik and Diksha Dagar missed the cut. (PTI)
Haryana girls clinch 10 golds in Junior Boxing Nat’l C’ships
New Delhi, Aug 1: Haryana boxers produced remarkable performances to conclude their campaign with 10 gold medals at the Junior Girls National Championships at the Delhi Public School in Sonipat on Sunday. With a total of 13 medals, including three silver, Haryana also emerged as the top team at the championships and extended their domination in the domestic boxing circuit. Earlier last week, Haryana had bagged the No.1 spot in the Youth Women’s National Championships. (IANS)