Kiyana, Harsh win gold in Asian Youth Chess Championships
DUBAI, Dec 21: Two Indian youngsters, Kiyana Parihar (U-8 Girls) and Harsh Suresh (U-16 open) won gold medals in the 25th Asian Youth Chess Championships (Classical), held at Al Ain Convention Centre in UAE.Kiyana had also bagged the silver medal in the Asian U-8 Girls rapid chess championship held last week.Three Indians, AS Sharvaanica (U-8 Girls), Aarit Kapil (U-8 Open) and G Tejaswini (U-18 Girls), won silver medals in their respective classical championships, while Aadya Ranganath won a bronze in the U-10 girls category.AS Sharvaanica, who had bagged two gold medals earlier in the 25th Asian Youth festival in U-8 Girls rapid and U-8 girls blitz categories, became the only player to win medals in all three (blitz, classical and rapid) categories.The Soviet players, who played under the FIDE flag, reigned supreme by winning four gold, four silver and two bronze medals while China bagged two gold, one silver and one bronze medals. India had bagged nine medals, including four gold (Bhagyashree Patil U-18 girls, Sapariya Ghosh U-14 girls, A S Sharvaanica U-8 girls and Muhammad Shyan Ibrahim U-8 Open), in the Asian Youth Rapid Chess Championships held December 13.The Asian Blitz Chess Championships held on December 17 saw three Indian girls – V C Nivedita (U-12 girls), Pratitee Bordoloi (U-10 girls) and A S Sharvaanica – win the gold medals for the country. (PTI)
Bus crash kills player, assistant coach in Algerian top league
ALGIERS, Dec 21: The Algerian Football Federation said that a bus crash has killed two members of its Ligue 1 side Mouloudia El Bayadh and that it would postpone all games scheduled for this week.The federation late Wednesday said the accident killed El Bayadh reserve goalkeeper Zakaria Bouziani, 27, and assistant coach Khalid Muftah. Bouziani made two league appearances this season.“It is with immense sadness that the president of the Algerian Football Federation, Walid Sadia, learned of the tragic road accident which left the club in mourning. MC El-Bayadh, playing in professional Ligue 1 Mobilis, and which led to the death of two members of this club,” the federation said in a statement translated from French.Local media said the bus carrying the team overturned in the town of Sougueur in northwestern Algeria on the way to Tizi Ouzou to play JSK Kabylie in a league game on Friday. The club said on social media that other injured team members were in stable condition.“In the wake of the painful tragedy that befell Algerian football . . . the Algerian Football Federation decided to suspend all football activities scheduled for the end of this week across the entire country,” it said in a later statement. (PTI)
Luton captain Lockyer out of hospital after cardiac arrest
LUTON, Dec 21: Luton captain Tom Lockyer has had a defibrillator fitted following his on-field cardiac arrest and left the hospital to rehabilitate at home, the club said on Thursday.Lockyer collapsed in the second half of Luton’s match at Bournemouth in the English Premier League on Saturday. The game was abandoned and will be replayed.It was the second time Lockyer collapsed during a match. The other time was in May during the second-tier Championship playoff final and that was because he suffered atrial fibrillation. Luton said the issue Lockyer experienced on Saturday was different. Lockyer underwent “a successful procedure that took place on Tuesday whereby Tom had an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) device fitted to prevent a repeat of Saturday’s incident,” Luton said. “The club, Tom and the Lockyer family would like to take this opportunity to repeat our collective heartfelt thanks to all at Bournemouth, their supporters, club officials and especially their medical staff and midfielder Philip Billing, who was the first to reach Tom on the pitch and summon assistance.”(PTI)