Praggnanandhaa: The Grand Chess Tour win was satisfying, but the Cand…

It was 11pm India time on Friday night when the phone rang. I was watching the India versus Belgium hockey game and the shootout had just finished. It was Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. I had reached out to him earlier in the day, wanting to speak about his fantastic win in the Grand Chess Tour. He was returning the call.

“I am still in the US and was very tired after the match and slept off,” he said. “I am leaving for the airport in about 45 minutes. Do you want to catch up now unless it’s too late for you? I am asking because I will then be away in transit for nearly a day and more.” raccoongame.org

We quickly got on a Zoom call and, may I say, it was a fascinating conversation. From saying that the victory in the Grand Chess Tour was one of his best efforts to describing the Candidates as a real low, Pragg was in the zone for the next 30 minutes.

What was his mindset going into the last day, six points down and playing against Fabiano Caruana, the defending champion and also the 2023 winner, I asked him. In the last month, he has played some fantastic chess in St Louis, and I could actually stretch that back to Norway, where he beat Magnus twice on home turf. Coming after the Candidates, what made the turnaround possible?

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Pragg answered each of these questions at length and in detail. While you can watch the interview on RevSportz at 12 noon, suffice it to say that the one answer that stayed with me was the one on the Candidates.

I asked him if he should look at the Candidates as a learning experience and whether that would help him in the months ahead when he makes yet another attempt.

“You can say that,” Pragg told me. “And yes, there are a lot of learnings. But then there are people who did win the first time. So all these lessons aren’t of any relevance unless you win. Gukesh won it the first time he played and now Sindarov has also won it in his first attempt. I need to do better. While I can indeed take lessons and look at it that way, the truth is there are people who have won it in the first attempt and it can be done.

“Yes, I have played some real good chess since Norway and it was deeply satisfying to win the Grand Chess Tour, perhaps one of the best wins of my career. It is equally true the Candidates did not go to plan and I need to make amends.”

As he was speaking, I could sense the steel in him. While he is very pleased with his Norway and Grand Chess Tour efforts, he is still hurting over what happened in the Candidates. Like a few experts have said, if he continues to play the way he is now, there is every reason to believe that the next Candidates could well be his.

For now, it is time for some home food, as Pragg said after a job well done in St Louis.

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શુક્રવારે 29 ઓગસ્ટના રોજ ફાઈનલમાં આર્જેન્ટિનાએ 9 વખતની ચેમ્પિયન નેધરલેન્ડ્સને હરાવીને 2026 વિમેન્સ હોકી વર્લ્ડકપ જીત્યો. નેધરલેન્ડ્સનું સતત ચોથું વર્લ્ડકપ જીતવાનું સ્વપ્ન ચકનાચૂર થઈ ગયું.

મેચનો નિર્ણય પેનલ્ટી શૂટઆઉટ દ્વારા લેવામાં આવ્યો, જેમાં આર્જેન્ટિનાએ નેધરલેન્ડ્સને 3-1 થી હરાવ્યું. આ આર્જેન્ટિનાના આ ત્રીજું ટાઈટલ હતું. આ જીતે આર્જેન્ટિનાના પાછલી હારનો બદલો પણ લીધો. પાછલા વર્લ્ડકપમાં પણ આર્જેન્ટિનાને નેધરલેન્ડ્સે 3-1થી હરાવ્યું હતું. આર્જેન્ટિનાએ અગાઉ 2002 અને 2010 માં ટાઈટલ જીત્યું હતું.

મેચમાં પૂર્ણ સમય સુધી સ્કોર 1-1 રહ્યો

નેધરલેન્ડ્સના એમ્સ્ટલવીનમાં રમાયેલી આ મેચમાં બંને ટીમોનો સ્કોર 1-1 હતો. 30મી મિનિટે નેધરલેન્ડ્સ માટે જેન્સેન યબ્બીએ ગોલ કર્યો, જ્યારે 54મી મિનિટે આર્જેન્ટિના માટે ગ્રેનાટો મારિયાએ ગોલ કર્યો. મેચનો પહેલો ક્વાર્ટર ગોલ રહિત રહ્યો. નેધરલેન્ડ્સે બીજા ક્વાર્ટરમાં મેચનો પહેલો ગોલ કર્યો. ત્રીજો ક્વાર્ટર પણ ગોલ વિના પસાર થયો. આર્જેન્ટિનાએ ચોથા અને અંતિમ ક્વાર્ટરમાં ગોલ કરીને મેચ 1-1 થી બરાબર કરી દીધી. પૂર્ણ સમય સુધી સ્કોર 1-1 રહ્યો, જેના કારણે પેનલ્ટી શૂટઆઉટનો ઉપયોગ કરવો પડ્યો. આર્જેન્ટિનાને મેચમાં 8 પેનલ્ટી કોર્નર મળ્યા, જ્યારે નેધરલેન્ડ્સને 3 પેનલ્ટી કોર્નર મળ્યા.

આ રીતે પેનલ્ટી શૂટઆઉટ થયું

પેનલ્ટી શૂટઆઉટમાં આર્જેન્ટિના તરફથી વિક્ટોરિયા ગ્રેનાટો, બ્રિસા બ્રુગેસર અને સોફિયા કૈરોએ ગોલ કર્યા. ડિયાઝ જોનો ગોલ રદ્દ થયો. નેધરલેન્ડ્સ તરફથી એકમાત્ર ગોલ વિએન મારિનનો હતો. પીએન સેન્ડર્સ, ફેલિસ આલ્બર્સ અને મોઈસ ફ્રેક પેનલ્ટી ચૂકી ગયા.

ટુર્નામેન્ટમાં આર્જેન્ટિનાની સફર

પૂલ સ્ટેજમાં આર્જેન્ટિનાએ તેમની 3 માંથી 2 મેચ જીતી અને 1 ડ્રો કરીને આગળના સ્ટેજમાં પ્રવેશ કર્યો. બીજા સ્ટેજમાં ટીમે તેમની 3 માંથી 2 મેચ જીતી, 1 ડ્રો કરીને સેમીફાઈનલમાં સ્થાન મેળવ્યું. ત્યારબાદ ટીમે સેમીફાઈનલ જીતી અને ફાઈનલમાં પ્રવેશ કર્યો, અંતે ફાઈનલમાં શક્તિશાળી નેધરલેન્ડ્સને હરાવીને ટાઈટલ જીત્યું.

આ પણ વાંચો: 25 સિક્સ, 15 ચોગ્ગા અને 233 રન... અભિષેક શર્માએ મચાવી ધૂમ, બોલર્સ થયા હેરાન

India celebrated its National Sports Day yesterday on Saturday, August 29 and there is already some good news on the occasion. The nation, which is set to host the next Commonwealth Games edition in 2030, is taking a new approach towards identifying sporting talent.

The proposed host state of Gujarat is eager to do something unique in order to make it happen. The state is turning to DNA sequencing to find athletes who could have the potential to excel in all different kinds of sports. The initiative is being seen as a step towards using genetics along with traditional methods of talent identification.

The idea is to understand an athlete’s genetic profile and use that information to identify areas where the person could have a natural advantage. Instead of relying only on physical tests, performances and coaching assessments, genetic information could provide another layer while identifying and developing young athletes.

The programme is aimed at finding sporting talent at an early age. Once potential athletes are identified, the information could be used to guide them towards sports that may suit their physical characteristics and abilities. The broader goal is to create a stronger system for developing athletes and improve India’s chances of producing champions across different disciplines.

Genetics can play a role in several physical traits that matter in sport. Factors linked to muscle composition, endurance, recovery and how the body responds to training can vary from person to person.

However, DNA alone cannot make someone a champion. Training, nutrition, coaching, discipline and access to facilities remain important parts of an athlete’s development.

That is where the Gujarat initiative could be significant. Rather than using genetic information as the only method of selection, it can potentially be combined with existing talent identification programmes. Young athletes could then receive more specialised training based on their individual requirements.

The move also comes at a time when India is trying to build a stronger sporting system. The country has improved its performances at major international events in recent years, with athletes from shooting, athletics, boxing, wrestling, badminton, weightlifting and other sports winning medals at the highest level.

India has a large population but many promising athletes are identified late or do not get access to the right training and facilities. A more scientific approach to talent identification could help widen the search and bring more young athletes into organised sport.

One of the biggest problems for young athletes in India, however, remains access to proper sporting facilities. Across several cities, playgrounds and open spaces are being taken over for construction and other purposes.

With fewer grounds available, children are losing places where they can play, train and develop an interest in sport. Finding talent through DNA sequencing can help identify potential but that talent will need proper grounds, coaches and training facilities to turn into performance.