Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi of Telangana won the Senior National Chess Championship, edging out fellow GMs of Tamil Nadu D Gukesh and P Iniyan in a tie-breaker after the trio finished on 8. 5 points each. The 18-year-old Erigaisi remained unbeaten in 11 rounds and ended up with 8.5 points for his maiden Senior National title. He drew his final round game against SP Sethuraman.
Gukesh had to settle for a draw against Aryan Chopra while Iniyan moved up to 8.5 points with a fine win over fellow GM Mitrabha Guha of West Bengal. Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram of Tamil Nadu finished fourth with eight points, while top-seed B Adhinan ended a distant 20th. Erigaisi and Gukesh began the day on eight points and both had a chance of laying
their hands on the top prize. Iniyan defeated Guha to make it an interesting battle for the title. However, Erigaisi and Gukesh were held to draws, meaning a three-way tie for the top place. Erigaisi emerged victorious on the basis of a better tie-break score.
Aussie great Marsh dies at 74
With a distinctive mustache, unbuttoned shirt and a baggy green cap like a beacon behind the stumps, the sight of Rod Marsh and the sound of his name pervaded Australian summers in the 1970s and early 80s. The cricket great, who formed a prolonged and prolific wicket-taking partnership with Australian pace bowler Dennis Lillee, died in an Adelaide hospital last week just over a week after having a heart attack during a fundraising event in Queensland state. He was 74. A stocky and stoic wicketkeeper-batter, Marsh was half of a catchphrase that was synonymous with the era of test cricket: caught Marsh, bowled Lillee. They combined a record 95 times to dismiss opposition batters in test cricket. “This is a tremendously sad day for Australian cricket and for all those who loved and admired Rod Marsh,“ Cricket Australia chairman Lachlan Henderson said.
Ahmedabad paddler to lead India at Deaflympics
Paddler Shiney Gomes will lead India’s table tennis contingent at the 24th Summer Deaflympics to be held in Brazilian cities of Caxias do Sul, Farropilha and Flores da Cunha from May 1-15, 2022. At the selection trials held in New Delhi, Shiney put up an outstanding display. She played nine matches, won all of them and dropped just two games - that too in the final match. “It’s a great feeling to represent the country once again at the Deaflympics. As a sportsperson, we just dream to represent our country at the highest level,” Shiney said. “There were 14 girls from across the country. I am happy with my performance as I did not lose a single game till the final,” said the 24-year-old, who represented India at the 2017 Deaflympics in Turkey. Up against India no. 1 Surabhi Ghosh of Bengal in the final of the selection trials, Shiney was 1-2 down before recording an impressive turnaround to win the match 3-2.
Indian sailors bag 9 medals in Asian Championships
Indian sailors reaped rich rewards at the Asian Sailing Championships 2022 at Abu Dhabi on Saturday, ending their campaign on a high note by winning nine medals in all. The medal harvest included three gold, three silver and three bronze. In the Men’s 49ers category, India won a gold and bronze medal. The country’s top sailors, KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar, who had represented the country in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last year, bagged the gold medal while Prince Noble and Manu Francis claimed bronze with a pair from Singapore taking the silver.
Mary Kom turns her focus to CWG Games
Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom has decided against participating in the trials for the upcoming IBA Elite Women’s World Boxing Championships and Asiad. However, the senior boxer added that she will now focus on her preparations for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In a communication to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the London Olympics bronze medalist said, “I would like to withdraw to give opportunity to the younger generation to make a name for themselves on the international stage and get exposure and experience of major tournaments. I would like to focus on the preparation for CWG event taking place.”
Kuruvilla becomes BCCI GM
Former pace bowler Abbey Kuruvilla, who served as a senior national selector for a year till December, has been made the GM (operations) of the BCCI. The post was vacated after Dhiraj Malhotra resigned two months ago. Kuruvilla stepped down as a selector in January because he had completed five years in the position.
Jason Roy pulls out of IPL 2022
England opener Jason Roy confirmed that he will not be playing for his franchise Gujarat Titans in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) to spend some “quality time” with his family. Earlier, a report had said that Roy had pulled out of the tournament “citing the challenge of staying in the tournament bubble for an extended period”. Later, the English cricketer took to Instagram to convey the decision to his fans.
