Advani to lead India’s charge in World 6-Red Snooker C’ship
Manama (Bahrain), July 18: Three-time champion Pankaj Advani will lead a strong Indian contingent at the World 6-Red Snooker Championship that begins here on Saturday. Advani, who got a wildcard – along with Brijesh Damani and Aditya Mehta – into the event after leading India to the Asian Team Snooker triumph last month in Colombo, will look to carry that form into the World bash. “I feel really good about my game right now,” Advani, the Asian champion, said on the eve of the tournament. “When you enter the 6-reds tournament, you don’t know what to expect. And nobody can ever be a favourite in this format. It’s like a 10-over game, one, two moments can really change the complexion of the game,” added Advani. Kamal Chawla, the reigning champion, has fired only in patches this season. Chawla, who took part in the Masters event, was knocked out in the pre-quarters by fellow Indian Manan Chandra. He would look to give it his all to retain the title. (PTI)
Six GMs, one IM to play simul against 50 budding chess players
Kolkata, July 18: Six Grandmasters and one International Master from West Bengal will play against rising chess talents in a simultaneous exhibition match at the Bengal Rowing Club on Sunday. The event is being organised by the “Sara Bangla Daba Sangstha”, an affiliated body of the All India Chess Federation, to celebrate International Chess Day. GM Dibyendu Barua, GM Neelotpal Das, GM Saptarshi Roychowdhury, GM Saptarshi Roy, GM Mitrabha Guha, WGM Nisha Mohta and IM Aranyak Ghosh will play against 50 boys and girls from five age groups of U-7, U-9, U-11, U-13 & U-15, stated a release. Six boys and four girls from each age group will be selected on the basis of a selection tournament to be held on Saturday at Eastern Railway Sports Academy Complex in Majherhat. (PTI)
India U-31 team wins bronze, U-16 finishes fourth at Bridge c’ships
New Delhi, July 18: India’s U-31 bridge team won the bronze medal while the U-16 side finished fourth in the 19th World Youth Team Championships held at Salsomaggiore in Italy. On the final day of the tournament on Thursday, two Indian teams were in contention for podium finishes. The U-16 team lost the semifinal playoff against France after two close sets. It however became the first Indian side to advance this far in the competition. The U-31 team, playing in the ‘Board A Match’ event, finished third among 24 competing sides to win the bronze. The U-16 team comprised of Prakhar Bansal, Viha Gahrotra, Ananya Mehta, Jashith Narang, Adhiyaman Zodypache and Agilan Zodypache. They had beaten Chinese Taipei by six IMPs the quarterfinal. The Indian U-21 and U-26 teams did not make it to top eight. (PTI)
Over 100 runners join 5-km promo run for Tawang Marathon
Gangtok, July 18: Over 100 runners took part in a 5-kilometre promotional run here on Thursday for the upcoming Tawang Marathon. The run began and finished at MG Marg here and was flagged off jointly by Dorjee Dadul Pulger, president of Sikkim Green Hill Runners, and Gaurav Sharma, representative of the Tawang Marathon. “This is a great opportunity for runners from Sikkim to gear up for the Tawang Marathon,” Pulger said. Sharma highlighted the purpose of the promo run. “The purpose of this event is to encourage more runners to register for the upcoming Tawang Marathon. Registrations are now open, and we’re expecting a higher turnout this year,” he said. Phurba Tamang, a runner from Sikkim, won the previous edition. Tawang Marathon is slated to be held on October 24 with four race categories – full marathon, half marathon, 10km and 5km run. (PTI)