Praggnanandhaa held by Chopra; Gukesh draws with Mamedov
ISLE OF MAN (UK), Oct 26: Grandmaster and World Cup silver medallist R Praggnanandhaa was held to a draw by compatriot Aryan Chopra, while D Gukesh signed peace out of a theoretical opening against Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan in the first round of the FIDE Grand Swiss that got underway here.Chopra is another young Grandmaster who hails from Delhi and is trying to make a mark in international circuit. Playing the black side of a Slav defense against someone who is, by consent, one of the best talents in the world, Chopra fought valiantly and held on to his own in a finely-paced game.Praggnanandhaa traded queens early in the opening and dented the black’s pawn structure a bit and even stood slightly better for quite some time. However, the position was always closer to a draw and a flurry of exchanges led to an equal opposite coloured Bishops endgame. The game was drawn after just 33 moves.Gukesh never got a chance against Mamedov who is known as a theoretician.Playing the black side of a Sicilian Scheveningen, the Indian Grandmaster went for the Scheveningen setup and Mamedov went for an old variation that is solid in nature.Against strong players, it is not easy to win with black if they are not trying to win as white, is the mantra that goes around and that was the true case for Gukesh as, after a mere 23 moves, the players repeated the position and signed peace. (PTI)
Man United report PL-record revenue of $783.5 million
MANCHESTER,Oct 26: Manchester United reported revenues of 648.4 million pounds ($783.5 million) for the last financial year Thursday, a Premier League record.The latest financial figures from United come at a time when British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly ready to buy a 25% share of the English club from its American owners, the Glazer family.Overall revenue is up by 11% compared to the previous year even though United competed in the Europa League and not the more lucrative Champions League. The club still reported a loss of 42.1 million pounds ($50.9 million). United’s wage bill for the period was down 52.8 million pounds ($63.8 million) to 331.4 million pounds ($400 million), which was attributed to “squad turnover” and the team’s absence from the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo was among several highly-paid players to leave the club.The report said no dividends had been paid to the Glazer family and other shareholders. (PTI)
Union Berlin suspend on-loan Chelsea player Fofana for a week
BERLIN, Oct 26: Union Berlin has suspended forward David Datro Fofana for a week after he refused to shake his coach’s hand during the Champions League loss to Napoli.Fofana walked past coach Urs Fischer’s outstretched hand on Tuesday after Fischer substituted him in the 70th minute of the 1-0 loss to the Italian champions. The two briefly made contact when Fischer appeared to jostle Fofana. It was Union’s ninth consecutive loss in all competitions.Union spokesperson Christian Arbeit said Thursday that Fofana had apologized to Fischer and sporting director Oliver Ruhnert. Fischer said he hoped Fofana would learn from the incident and that “it’s about accepting decisions.” Fofana posted an apology to the team and supporters on Instagram previously and indicated he had wanted to stay on the field rather than be substituted. The 20-year-old Ivory Coast forward was sent to Union on loan in July but has not scored in 11 appearances for the German team playing in the Champions League for the first time. (AP)