Anand draws with Anish Giri in Sinquefield Cup

St. Louis (USA): Viswanathan Anand played out his fourth draw on the trot, signing peace with Dutchman Anish Giri in the sixth round of the Sinquefield Cup. Anand recovered his tournament situation slightly as he rose to joint eighth spot from joint ninth, but the Indian ace still has a lot of ground to cover in the remaining three rounds. Hikaru Nakamura of the United States played a remarkable attacking game against compatriot Wesley So. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France also bounced back in reckoning for top honours by disposing of Vaselin.

Bangkok

Shiva, Devendro enter quarters; Mandeep bows out

Shiva Thapa (56kg) and L Devendro Singh (49kg) notched up contrasting victories as they advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Boxing Championships. While Shiva fought through an engrossing contest to beat Jordan's Mohammad Alwadi 3-0, Devendro out-punched China's He Junjun by a similar margin in their respective pre-quarterfinal bouts. Mandeep Jangra (69kg) bowed out after losing 1-2 to Japan's Yasuhiro Suzuki.

Sarajevo (Bosnia)

Wrestler Anil wins gold at World Cadet Championship

Wrestler Anil won a gold medal in the 50 kg freestyle category to give India its second medal at the World Cadet Championship. Anil's gold is the second after female grappler Ankus won a silver medal in the 38 kg category. “I am very happy for making my country proud by winning a gold medal. After a winning start in the championship, my confidence level was up and it helped me in winning the finals,” he said.

New Delhi

Japan humiliate Indian eves at Asian basketball meet

Japan handed India one of their most embarrassing defeats in recent times, beating them 131-31 in the FIBA Asian Women's Basketball Championship. By the halftime, Japan had built a mammoth 63-21 lead. In the second half, Japan showcased their deep bench, which scored a whopping 89 points in total against India's 13, making this 131-31 win a formality. India will next face Asian giant and reigning bronze medallist China tomorrow afternoon. Captain Anitha Paul Durai is expected to return to action. — Agencies