Anand joint eighth after another bad day

St Louis (USA)

Former world champion Viswanathan Anand had another bad outing, drawing seven and losing two games, to remain joint eighth after the end of nine rounds of blitz in the St. Louis Rapid and blitz chess tournament. Having garnered just seven points out of a possible eighteen in the rapid section, Anand needed a big breakthrough in the blitz tournament spanning over 18 rounds but he was not in his best shape to make a mark. With today’s results, Anand has just 10.5 points and the podium position is out of his reach now.

Abu Dhabi

Harika faces first loss but stays in contention

The Indian Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli failed to maintain her unbeaten run and lost to Romanian Grandmaster Bogdan-Daniel Deac in the fourth round of the Masters Tournament of the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. The world No. 9 Indian, playing with black pieces, got off to a flying start and took the Romanian’s pawn in the third move of the game. But Deac ended up winning the game after a total of 78 moves. “I complicated the game with a move which was not needed and my position just kept getting worse,” Harika said.

New Delhi

Akash finishes sixth in trap at Junior Shotgun World Cup      

India’s Akash Saharan finished a respectable sixth in the final round of the men’s trap event at the ISSF Junior Shotgun World Cup at Porpetto, Italy, today. Spain’s Adria Martinez won the gold with a world record score of 46 out of 50. In the final round, the Indian took an early joint lead, shooting four out of four, but then missed eight of the next 21 to settle for the sixth place. Turkey’s Murat Ilbilgi won the bronze with a score of 36 in the finals. 

Greensboro (US)

Despite putting woes, Lahiri opens with fine 65   

Anirban Lahiri opened the week at the Wyndham Championships with a five-under 65 to grab a tied 13th place after the opening round at the Sedgefield Country Club here. Lahiri’s card could have been even better had he not missed a couple of short putts. The Indian is now four shots behind the leader, Matt Every (61), who equalled the course record of 61, set by Arjun Atwal in 2010. 

Moscow 

CAS imposes 4-year ban on Russian jumper Pyatykh  

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday imposed a four-year ban on Russian triple-jumper Anna Pyatykh for doping. CAS said the athlete violated anti-doping rules related to the use of a prohibited substance. “A period of ineligibility of four years is imposed on Anna Pyatykh starting on 15 December 2016, the date of commencement of her provisional suspension,” CAS added. “The results achieved by Anna at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan on 31 August 2007, and from 6 July 2013 to 15 December 2016 are disqualified,” the court added. This means that Pyatykh lost her two bronze medals she won at the World Championships in Osaka in 2007 and Berlin 2009. — Agencies