Chess WC: Gujrathi makes it to round 3; Nihal Sarin ousted
PANJIM, Nov 6: Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi finally came out triumphant against 12-year-old Oro Faustino of Argentina while Nihal Sarin was ousted from the FIDE World Cup after missing several opportunities against Greek Grandmaster Kourkoulos-Arditis Stamatis in the first set of tie-break games, as the second round concluded here on Thursday.For Nihal, it was a heartbreak as the Kerala Grandmaster was hoping to make a mark in this unique competition that features the world’s best player.However, Stamatis was on course as he kept on adding pressure till Nihal collapsed after getting several chances.Nihal could have won the match easily as he enjoyed decent positions but he spurned them even as Stamatis capitalised on the opportunities he got.India’s second major casualty on the day was Aravindh Chithambaram who lost to compatriot K Venkatramanan after the second set of rapid games.Indian results (Round 2, Game 2): Temur Kuybokarov (Aus) drew with R Praggnanandhaa 1-1, 1-1; Oro Faustino (Arg) lost to Vidit Gujrathi 1-1, 0.5-1.5; Nihal Sarin lost to Kourkoulos-Arditis Stamatis (Gre) 1-1, 0.5-1.5; P Harikrishna beat Arseniy Nesterov (Fid) 1.5-0.5; Murali Karthikeyan drew with Idani Pouya (Iri) 1-1; Nikita Vituigov (Eng) drew with S L Narayanan 1-1,; Dmitrij Kollars (Ger) lost to M Pranesh 1-1, 0-2; V Pranav beat Aryan Tari (Nor) 1-1, 1.5-0.5; Raunak Sadhwani lost to Robert Hovhannisyan (Arm) 1-1, 0-2. (PTI)
Anisimova beats Swiatek to join Rybakina in last four
RIYADH, Nov 6: Amanda Anisimova reached the last four of the WTA Finals by beating second-ranked Iga Swiatek 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2.The 24-year-old American earned her second consecutive victory over Swiatek since losing to the Polish player 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final.Anisimova, ranked No. 4, had also eliminated Swiatek in the US Open quarterfinals.Anisimova got the first break of serve in the contest to take the second set to force a decider. She faced only four break points and saved each one.Elena Rybakina, who had already advanced to the semifinals, completed her round-robin phase with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova.Rybakina and Anisimova will learn their semifinal opponents after Thursday’s final round-robin matches: top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka plays defending champion Coco Gauff; and Jessica Pegula faces Jasmine Paolini, who has already been eliminated. (AP)
FIH hockey men’s junior WC trophy tour to kick-off today
NEW DELHI, Nov 6: The prestigious Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup trophy will travel across 20 cities in India on a nationwide tour, starting here on Friday.The tour will officially kick off on Friday during the Hockey India centenary celebrations in the presence of Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, FIH President Dato Tayyab Ikram, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey, Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh and Treasurer Sekar J Manoharan.The 20 cities include Chandigarh, Amritsar, Lucknow, Jammu, Pune and Hyderabad.The tournament is set to be co-hosted by Chennai and Madurai from from November 28 till December 10.The trophy will travel through 20 cities before returning to Tamil Nadu, giving fans across the country a chance to witness the silverware up close.“The idea behind the Trophy Tour is to take the excitement of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup to every corner of India. This is a historic moment for Indian hockey as we host the largest-ever edition of the Junior World Cup with 24 teams,” Tirkey said in a statement. (PTI)
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar lying 10th in Singapore Open
SINGAPORE, Nov 6: Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar went on a birdie spree in the closing stretch to card a sizzling five-under 67 and lie tied for 10th in the unfinished first round of the Moutai Singapore Open here on Thursday.Bhullar picked up seven shots, including four birdies in his last six holes, against two bogeys.Ajeetesh Sandhu (70) was T-57 as was SSP Chawrasia, while Viraj Madappa (71) was T-79 and Shiv Kapur (72) was T-98 and S Chikkarangappa (75) was T-121.Korea’s Jeunghun Wang shot an eight-under 64 to take the lead on the opening day.Wang, who fired nine birdies and dropped just one shot, took a one-stroke lead over Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Gunn Charoenkul, along with Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent, all of whom carded 65s on the New Course at SICC. (PTI)
RCB appoint Rangarajan as women’s team head coach
BENGALURU, Nov 6: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday named former Tamil Nadu spinner Malolan Rangarajan as the head coach of their women’s team ahead of the fourth WPL season next year.Rangarajan replaces Luke Williams, who was appointed as head coach in 2024. The Australian is set to miss the WPL (Women’s Premier League) due to his commitments with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League.“Malolan Rangarajan, a key member of the RCB support staff for the last six years in various roles, has now been appointed as head coach for the upcoming WPL cycle,” RCB posted on their official X handle.Rangarajan has been a part of RCB’s WPL setup since its inception. He served as the assistant coach during their title-winning season in 2024. The WPL is being a held a month earlier than usual in 2026 – as India are set to co-host the the men’s T20 WC with Sri Lanka (PTI)
Hataoka and Yamashita atop LPGA leaderboard
OTSU (Japan), Nov 6: Japanese golfers Nasa Hataoka and Miyu Yamashita each shot 7-under 65 on Thursday to stand atop the leaderboard after the first round of the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic.Hataoka is looking for her seventh title on the LPGA Tour, and Yamashita is after her third.Shin Ji-yai of South Korea was a stroke off the lead and three more Japanese – Chisato Iwai, Akie Iwai, and Minami Katsu – were just two shots behind at the Seta Golf Club in western Japan. In a very tight field, eight others golfers were just three off the pace. This included Minjee Lee of Australia. Lee won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship earlier this year, her third major title.Defending champion Rio Takeda shot a 1-over 73 and was eight strokes back. Chisato Iwai and Akie Iwai are twin sisters. (PTI)
