Indian GM Praggnanandhaa wins Reykjavik Open
Reykjajvik (Iceland), April 12: Young Indian Grandmaster R Pragganandhaa on Tuesday won the prestigious Reykjavik Open chess tournament here with 7.5 points from nine rounds. The 16-year-old Pragganandhaa defeated compatriot GM D Gukesh in the final round to emerge sole winner. Praggnanandhaa turned things around in the all-Indian battle after his opponent blundered when he appeared to be losing. The highly-rated Indian remained unbeaten through the nine rounds and finished with wins over Matthieu Cornette (France) and Gukesh in the last two rounds. (PTI)
Netherlands coach van Gaal’s cancer treatment successful
Amsterdam, April 12: Netherlands manager and former Manchester United head coach Louis van Gaal said that the treatment he had undergone for an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer had been successful. The Dutchman had revealed his diagnosis earlier this month. The coach said that he has had radiation treatment 25 times so far. “I’ve been through everything,” Van Gaal told Dutch news agency ANP, as per goal.com. “I had 25 radiation treatments. Then I had to wait five or six months to see if it had done its job. It did.” Van Gaal became Netherlands national team coach for the third time last year. (ANI)
Ex-Madrid midfielder Rincon critical after car crash
BOGOTA, April 12: Former Real Madrid midfielder Freddy Rincon is in a critical condition following a car accident in the southwestern Colombian city of Cali. Four other passengers in the car that Rincon was driving were also injured after a collision with a bus on Monday, authorities said. “Freddy Eusebio Rincon arrived in hospital this morning with a traumatic brain injury,” read a statement from Cali’s Clinica Imbanaco hospital. Hospital spokeswoman Laureano Quintero described the 55-year-old’s condition as “very serious” after he underwent emergency surgery. Rincon was capped 84 times for Colombia. He was also involved in a serious car accident in 2013. (IANS)
Blatter, Platini to face trial in Swiss federal court in June
BELLINZONA (Switzerland), April 12: Former FIFA officials Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini will go on trial charged with fraud and other offenses in June, Switzerland’s federal criminal court said on Tuesday. The court set the trial to be heard before a panel of three judges on 11 days during June 8 to 22. The trial will begin over 6 1/2 years after criminal proceedings were opened, first against Blatter, over a 2011 payment of 2 million Swiss francs (then $2 million) he authorized FIFA to make to Platini. Blatter has been charged with fraud, mismanagement, misappropriation of FIFA funds and forgery of a document. Platini has been charged with fraud, misappropriation, forgery and as an accomplice to Blatter’s alleged mismanagement. (AP)