EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU MUMBAI FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 SPORT 19 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Abhijeet retakes title in style Carlsen sets a world record Pranesh finishes fifth with a resounding performance, gets GM­norm Norwegian unbeaten for 111 games in classical chess; Another draw for Anand CHESS led until his fourth succes­ tional Master and scored six sive victory decided the title. points off them. Rated 2317, Sports Bureau glittering career. the youngster gained a WIJK AAN ZEE RAKESH RAO “I’ve been in this situation After four rounds, before NEW DELHI whopping 88 rating points at least 15 times in my career Magnus Carlsen set a world Wednesday’s rest day, Wes­ by performing at 2645­level. Raising the bar when he where I needed to win the record of 111 unbeaten classi­ ley So led the field after beat­ Important 10th round results last round for the title,’ said cal games after getting out of needed to, Abhijeet Gupta (Indians unless stated): Abhi- ing overnight leader Alireza pulled off a clinical win over Abhijeet and continued, trouble against local Jorden Firouzja in 47 moves. “and this turned out to be jeet Gupta (8.5) bt Aleksej Aleksej Aleksandrov to re­ van Foreest during their 45­ In Group B, Surya Shek­ my cleanest of the eight wins Aleksandrov (Blr, 8); P. Shyam gain the title in the Delhi In­ Nikhil (7) lost to Pavel Ponkra- move draw in the fourth har Ganguly defeated Dinara in the competition. ternational Open Grandmas­ tov (Rus, 8); Kirill Stupak (Blr, round of Tata Steel Masters Saduakassova in 26 moves to ters chess tournament here 7) lost to Levan Pantsulaia chess tournament here on lead with three points. More challenging on Thursday. (Geo, 8); Nodirbek Yakubboev Tuesday. Compatriot Nihal Sarin “But honestly, I feel my (Uzb, 7.5) drew with Alexie Fe- On a day when Viswa­ Winner in 2008 and 2014, (2.5 points), who also played ninth­round win over Dip­ dorov (Blr, 7.5); N.R. Visakh (7) nathan Anand drew with Abhijeet tallied 8.5 points black, recorded his first win tayan Ghosh with black piec­ lost to Pranesh (8); M. Karthi- black pieces against China’s from 10 rounds to end the keyan (7.5) bt Florian Kuczur after facing local Dutchman es was far more challenging, * Yu Yangyi in 32 moves to Carlsen. GETTY IMAGES Max Warmerdam for 38 drought of an Indian cham­ considering the fact that he (Ita, 6.5); Vishnu Prasanna (6.5) reach 1.5 points, Carlsen’s moves and shared the se­ pion since his last triumph in hardly loses with white piec­ lost to Mikheil Mchedlishvili been Carlsen’s two games (Geo, 7.5); David Alberto (Ita, 7) record remained the talking cond spot with four others. the richest prize­money es,” said the 30­year­old before but he declined to in­ drew with Karthik Venkatara- point. event in the country. He en­ clude two victories he post­ Fourth round results: Masters: champion. man (7); M.R. Lalith Babu (7.5) Carlsen, who last lost a sured ₹6.50 lakh and a big­ ed in the recent Norwegian Yu Yangyi (Chn, 1) drew with The day also saw 13­year­ bt Nguyen van Huy (6.5); K. game in July 2018 to Azerbai­ Viswanathan Anand (1.5); Wes- made trophy for his efforts. league by saying, “I’m all for old Tamil Nadu­lad M. Pra­ Ratnakaran (7.5) bt Diptayan jan’s Shakhriyar Mamedya­ ley So (USA, 3) bt Alireza Fi- Abhijeet scripted a dream nesh finish fifth with a re­ Ghosh (6.5). rov, broke the record of 110 it (the record), too. I consid­ rouzja (FIDE, 2.5); Jorden van comeback by scoring 6.5 sounding performance. This Final standing (top-15): 1. Abhi- games set by Russia’s Sergei er my streak against elite op­ Foreest (Ned, 2.5) drew with points from the last seven exceptional talent from Ka­ jeet (8.5 points), 2-5. Aleksan- Tiviakov in 2005. position is 109 and against Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 2); Jef- drov, Ponkratov, Pantsulaia, good opposition is 111 and I rounds, following his third­ raikudi scored eight points Indeed, Carlsen’s perfor­ fery Xiong (USA, 2.5) drew with Pranesh (8 points each); 6-15. round loss to Karthik Venkat­ by remaining unbeaten and am happy about that.” Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2.5); Yakubboev, Mchedlishvili, Fe- mance came against a much made a 10­game Grandmas­ Daniil Dubov (Rus, 2) drew with araman. Interestingly, Alek­ dorov, C.R.G. Krishna, Debashis higher quality of opposition But after escaping some ter norm. Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Pol, 2); sandrov who won the title in Das, M. Karthikeyan, Ratnaka- that averaged over 2700 as trouble against van Foreest Anish Giri (Ned, 2) drew with 2013 led at the start of every A trainee of noted coach ran, Cristhian Camilo Rios (Col), compared to Tiviakov’s riv­ and then drawing the game, Nikita Vitiugov (Rus, 1.5); Vla- round but eventually fin­ R.B. Ramesh, Pranesh faced M.R. Lalit Babu and Harsha Student and guide: Abhijeet Gupta, with coach Vishal Sareen, als, at 2476. Carlsen well and truly held dislav Artemiev (Rus, 2.5) bt ished second. Abhijeet never seven GMs and one Interna­ Bharathakoti (7.5 points each). after winning the Delhi International Open . * RAKESH RAO The record could have another world record in his Vladislav Kovalev (Blr, 0.5). Soumya eyes Asian Harshada claims 45kg youth title; Maharashtra dominates weightlifting KHELO INDIA topped the under­21 catego­ under­21 gold medal. youth c’ships gold ry, (59kg, 75kg, 134kg) stayed West Bengal edged out Ra­ Y.B. Sarangi behind Harshada in the over­ jasthan 25­22, 18­25, 25­21, 25­ GUWAHATI all list. Techi Nadam (58kg, Y.B. Sarangi this year for Soumya. “Last 23 for the girls’ under­17 title. 75kg, 133kg) of Arunachal GUWAHATI year I reduced two kg, but Harshada Garud raised her Karnataka went past Kerala Pradesh and Sufina Jasmin For 14­year­old Soumya Dal­ this year I had to cut down game to bag the under­17 25­19, 25­21, 25­23 to claim the (57kg, 73kg, 130kg) placed se­ vi, life has tasted so many fla­ four kg. I was so desperate girls’ 45kg youth title with an bronze. Gujarat beat Harya­ cond and third respectively vours before settling for his that I did not eat and drink aggregate of 139kg on the na 25­22, 21­25, 25­21, 25­16 in under­21 category. father Sunil’s passion – for nearly two days, did sau­ opening day of weightlifting for the boys’ under­21 yellow weightlifting. The teenager na bath and tried crying to competitions at Khelo India Among other Maharashtra metal. Tamil Nadu finished learnt music and dance and reduce weight,” Soumya, youth Games here on lifters, Soumya Dalvi (50kg, third, beating Uttar Pradesh did athletics before finding smiling ear­to­ear displaying Thursday. 66kg,116kg) and Aarati Tatgu­ 25­19, 25­20, 25­17. Harshada’s showing, ni (50kg, 65kg, 115kg) her calling in lifting weights. her wired­up teeth, told The Shooting: Anjali Chaudhary which was better than the Na­ claimed under­17 girls’ 40kg The tiny Thane lifter, who Hindu. (22) of Haryana secured the tional record of 132kg and is gold and silver respectively. began weightlifting about “I did singing, dancing girls' under­21 25m pistol yel­ yet to be ratified, helped her Mukund Aher claimed the two years ago, quickly found and athletics before my fath­ low metal beating Ishika top the combined list of un­ first two places in boys’ un­ her feet in the sport and er, who was a National­level Top show: Harshada rose to the occasion to nail the u-17 girls’ 45kg gold. * RITU RAJ KONWAR Singh (20) of Delhi. West Ben­ der­17 and under­21 lifters. It der­17 49kg class. started winning medals. She gold medal winning lifter gal defeated Tamil Nadu17­13 also contributed in Maha­ caught everyone’s attention and a Chhatrapati award Cycling: Karnataka’s Da­ under­17 10m air pistol gold. Saddam (Maharashtra) won 125 medals, including 33 to win the gold medal in un­ rashtra’s dominating perfor­ by claiming the Khelo India winner, asked me to do some namma Chichakha, Sahana His state­mate Naveen Singh gold medals in boys’ under­21 gold. der­21 air rifle mixed team mance of five medals, includ­ youth gold medal in girls' exercise at our home gym. Kudiganur, Keerthi Ramas­ (246.1) was the under­21 Greco Roman 51kg, 55kg and On Wednesday: event. Madhya Pradesh’s ing three gold medals, in the 40kg in Pune last year with a Slowly, he got involved and I wamy and Meghna Gugad champion. 60kg respectively. Volleyball: Kerala beat West Akash Kushwaha and Neeru weightlifting arena. total of 113kg. started training,” said Sou­ won the girls’ under­21 team Wrestling: Pankaj (Uttar Maharashtra was firmly on Bengal 26­24, 25­16, 25­21 in snatched the trap mixed On Thursday, she defend­ mya, who took gold medals The Pune girl lifted 62kg in pursuit (4000m) gold with a Pradesh), Pradeep (Haryana) top of the medals table with the final and take the girls’ team gold. ed her title in style by im­ in Khelo India, National her final snatch attempt to timing of 5:38.298. proving three kg and creat­ youth championships and lead the table. She failed in Andaman and Nicobar’s ing new (yet­to­be ratified) Commonwealth youth her first effort of 74kg in Celestina (12.928) and David mark.