Pragg holds Navara; Aravindh escapes against Dai Van

Prague

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa split points with Czech hero David Navara while compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram escaped with a draw with another local star Nguyen Thai Dai Van in the first round of the Prague Masters. German Vincent Keymer, who was part of D Gukesh’s team during the World Championships, scored the first big upset of the tournament taking down top seed Wei Yi of China. American Sam Shankland was the other winner of the day as he defeated Gurel Ediz of Turkey while the game between Quang Leim Le of Vietnam and Anish Giri of Netherlands ended in a draw.

New Delhi

ISL: Punjab FC go down to Goa by a solitary goal

FC Goa defeated Punjab FC in an Indian Super League match with Carl Mchugh scoring the all-important goal in the dying moments of the first half. Mchugh’s goal in the 45th minute ensured his team remained in second place, while Punjab FC remained 11th.

New Delhi

Asia Cup cricket likely to be staged in September

Asia Cup, which will serve as a preparatory event for the 2026 T20 World Cup, is likely to be held in September this year at a neutral venue though the hosting rights are with India. The last Asia Cup was held in the ODI format ahead of the 2023 50-over World Cup.