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Praggnanandhaa settles for a draw, Chithambaram scores a crushing win against Keymer

Chithambaram, who has been striving to break into elite chess circles, achieved his first victory with the black pieces after successfully navigating through a tough situation in his earlier game against Czech Grandmaster Nguyen Thai Dai Van.

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Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa recorded his second consecutive draw, this time against Turkey’s Gurel Ediz, while Aravindh Chithambaram made a significant breakthrough by defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the second round of the Prague Masters held in the Czech Republic.

Chithambaram, who has been striving to break into elite chess circles, achieved his first victory with the black pieces after successfully navigating through a tough situation in his earlier game against Czech Grandmaster Nguyen Thai Dai Van.

Chithambaram’s match was the only decisive one in a day characterized by draws among the other games in the 10-player round-robin format. Dai Van ended in a stalemate with Sam Shankland from the United States, while top seed Wei Yi from China secured his first points after drawing with Dutchman Anish Giri. Additionally, Vietnam’s Quang Leim Le also shared the points against Czech player David Navara.

With seven rounds remaining, Chithambaram joins Shankland at the top of the leaderboard, both having garnered 1.5 points from two games. They are followed by Giri, Le, Dai Van, Navara, Keymer, and Praggnanandhaa, while Ediz and Wei Yi sit at the bottom with half a point each.

On a day marked by the pass of world champion Boris Spassky, Chithambaram’s performance mirrored the Russian legend’s aggressive style, aiming for victory without hesitation. Despite the Queen’s Gambit Accepted being traditionally strong for black pieces, Chithambaram made an unconventional choice of move order, giving White a dynamic center.

His methodical approach led to a pawn gain in the middle game, and he effectively forced a queen exchange to leverage better prospects for his pieces. Chithambaram maintained relentless pressure until Keymer was left in a hopeless rook and pawns endgame, concluding the match after 45 moves.

Praggnanandhaa opted for the French Defense, which proved successful in securing an equal position. However, the challenge remained in capitalizing on that equilibrium. The talented Turkish player demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the brightest young chess talents in Europe, conceding minimal advantage until the players reached a draw on move 46, confirming that the rook endgame offered no winning chances.

In the challengers’ section happening simultaneously, Indian player Divya Deshmukh secured a noteworthy victory against Richard Stalmach from the Czech Republic. Embracing the principle that the king is a potent piece in the endgame, Divya navigated a fluctuating position to clinch the win. She ultimately ended with two connected passed pawns supported by her advancing king, extending the match to 50 moves.

Results (Round 2):

  • Vincent Keymer (GER, 1) lost to Aravindh Chithambaram (IND, 1.5)
  • Wei Yi (CHN, 0.5) drew with Anish Giri (NED, 1)
  • Nguyen Thai Dai Van (CZE, 1) drew with Sam Shankland (USA, 1.5)
  • Gurel Ediz (TUR, 0.5) drew with R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 1)
  • David Navara (CZE, 1) drew with Le Quang Leim (VIE, 1)

Challengers:

  • Vaclav Finek (CZE, 1) drew with Ma Qun (CHN, 1)
  • Marc`andria Maurizzi (FRA, 0.5) drew with Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB, 1.5)
  • Divya Deshmukh (IND, 1) beat Richard Stalmach (CZE, 0.5)
  • Jonas Buhl Bjerre (DEN, 1.5) drew with Ivan Salgado Lopez (ESP, 1.5)
  • Jachym Nemec (CZE, 0.5) drew with Stamatis Kourkoulous-Arditis (GER, 0.5)

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Asian Games 2026: Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur lead India athletics campaign

Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh advanced to the men’s 100m semifinals after finishing third and second respectively in their heats at the Asian Games.

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India will have two representatives in the men’s 100m semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games after Animesh Kujur and national record holder Gurindervir Singh progressed from their respective heats on Thursday.

Kujur secured third place in Heat 1 with a timing of 10.36 seconds, while Gurindervir finished second in Heat 4 after clocking 10.38 seconds. Both sprinters therefore moved into the next round of the competition.

The heats were held at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium as part of the athletics programme at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Animesh Kujur finishes third in Heat 1

Kujur produced a strong finish in his opening-round heat to register 10.36 seconds and take third place.

His performance was enough to secure his progression to the men’s 100m semifinals, giving India a second representative in the next stage of the event.

Gurindervir Singh advances from Heat 4

Gurindervir Singh also booked his semifinal spot after finishing second in Heat 4 with a time of 10.38 seconds.

The Indian sprinter, who holds the national record in the men’s 100m, thus joined Kujur in the semifinal round.

With both Indians progressing from their respective heats, India will have two athletes competing in the men’s 100m semifinals at the Asian Games.

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LATEST SPORTS NEWS

Asian Games 2026 Day 4: Mirabai Chanu silver leads India’s medal haul

India ended Day 4 of the Asian Games 2026 with 12 medals. Mirabai Chanu’s silver in women’s 49kg weightlifting was among the day’s major highlights.

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Mirabai Chanu

India continued its medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, September 23, with a strong showing across shooting, weightlifting, soft tennis, badminton and wushu.

The highlight of Day 4 was Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event. The medal was Chanu’s first at the Asian Games and ended India’s 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the continental event.

India also secured bronze medals in the men’s and women’s team skeet events and another bronze through Jay Meena in men’s singles soft tennis. The Indian men’s badminton team also secured a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals.

By the end of Day 4, India’s tally stood at 12 medals — one gold, five silver and six bronze. India was placed 13th in the overall medal standings.

Mirabai Chanu wins historic Asian Games silver

Mirabai Chanu produced one of India’s biggest moments of the day by winning silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting competition.

The medal was Chanu’s first-ever at the Asian Games. Her performance also brought India its first weightlifting medal at the Games since Karnam Malleswari won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.

North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won the gold after successfully lifting 121kg in the clean and jerk, setting a new Asian Games record in the process.

Chanu’s silver added another medal to India’s growing tally on Day 4.

India wins two bronze medals in skeet shooting

India added two bronze medals in shooting through the men’s and women’s team skeet events.

In the men’s competition, Anantjeet Singh Naruka also reached the individual final, although India missed out on a medal in that individual event.

The women’s shooting team also narrowly missed a medal in the 10m air pistol team event. India finished level with Vietnam on the overall score, but Vietnam took the bronze on the inner-10 countback.

Manu Bhaker qualified for the women’s 10m air pistol final, while India missed out on a team medal in the event.

Jay Meena creates history in soft tennis

Jay Meena won a bronze medal in men’s singles soft tennis, giving India its first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport.

Meena reached the semi-finals but was dealing with an injury during the knockout stage. His bronze added to India’s medal tally on Day 4.

Indian men’s badminton team secures bronze

India’s men’s badminton team ended its Asian Games campaign with a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals.

The team faced China in the semi-final. India’s campaign therefore ended with a podium finish despite the loss at the final stage.

Roshibina Devi assures India another medal

India was also guaranteed another medal in wushu after Naorem Roshibina Devi advanced to the women’s 60kg final.

Roshibina defeated Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 10-0 in the semi-final to book her place in the final. Her progress guaranteed India at least a silver medal in the event.

India women’s hockey team records big win

The Indian women’s hockey team also registered a commanding victory on Day 4, defeating Thailand 20-1.

The result was among India’s notable performances across team sports during the day’s competition.

Asian Games 2026 India medal tally after Day 4

India finished Day 4 with 12 medals:

MedalCount
Gold1
Silver5
Bronze6
Total12

India’s only gold so far has come from the women’s cricket team. Shooting has contributed seven medals, while weightlifting and soft tennis have also added to the country’s tally.

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Asian Games 2026: India win first gold as women’s cricket team beats Sri Lanka

India won its first gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final, taking the country’s medal tally to seven.

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India opened its gold medal account at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final on Tuesday.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side produced a dominant performance to win the final and claim India’s first gold medal of the Games. India set Sri Lanka a target of 217 runs before bowling them out for 69.

The victory took India’s medal tally to seven, adding a gold to the six medals secured during the opening days of the competition.

India assure another medal in badminton

India also secured another medal opportunity in men’s team badminton after defeating hosts Japan 3-0 in the quarter-final.

Ayush Shetty completed the victory by beating Japan’s Koki Watanabe 21-10, 21-19, sending India into the semifinals and assuring the country of at least a medal in the event.

Earlier, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi to give India a 2-0 lead in the tie.

Roshibina Devi assures India another medal

India also secured a medal in wushu after Roshibina Devi reached the women’s 60kg semi-finals.

Roshibina defeated Macao’s Man Sin Chu by point difference to book her place in the last four.

However, India’s Aryan was knocked out in the men’s 56kg quarter-final after losing to Uzbekistan’s Saydullo Abdurashitov.

India miss shooting medal

India’s Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team final after earlier qualifying second for the gold medal match.

The pair therefore missed out on a podium finish in the event.

More results from Day 3

Indian boxer Jadumani Singh advanced to the men’s 55kg Round of 16 after defeating Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa 5-0.

In artistic gymnastics, Pranati Nayak qualified for the women’s vault final with a score of 12.916.

India’s women’s badminton team, meanwhile, exited the competition after losing 1-3 to hosts Japan in the quarter-finals.

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