D Gukesh outguns Sanan Sjugirov, jumps to top of the table

Chennai

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh scored his second straight win, outclassing Sanan Sjugirov in the fifth round of the Chennai Grand Masters Chess Championship here today. The victory took Gukesh to 3.5 points and gave him a clear lead in the eight-man field. P Harikrishna dropped to second spot with 3 points after a draw with Parham Maghsoodloo. Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi could only draw against Levon Aronian and has 2.5 points.

Marrakech (Morocco)

Pranavi lies 6th as Vani, Amandeep improve positions

India’s Pranavi Urs finished strongly to stay in contention for one of the coveted berths on the Ladies European Tour as she was tied-sixth after three rounds of the five-day Final Stage of the Qualifying School golf tournament here. Vani Kapoor improved from T-37 to Tied-27th, while Amandeep Drall improved from T-63 to T-39.

Valencia

Indian teams lose again in five-nation hockey

The Indian men’s hockey team’s woeful run in the five-nation tournament continued as it lost 2-3 against Germany to slump to its third consecutive defeat here today. The women’s team suffered a 1-3 defeat to Germany. Both the Indian teams have lost three games in a row. The men will play France, while the women’s team will face Ireland next. — Agencies