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Fresh from his exploits in India's first-ever title-winning campaign at the <keyword id="20392615" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chess-Olympiad" source="keywords">Chess Olympiad</keyword>, <keyword id="21250789" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Grandmaster" source="keywords">Grandmaster</keyword> <keyword id="20322293" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vidit-Gujrathi" source="keywords">Vidit Gujrathi</keyword> has decided against defending his crown at the 10th Vugar Gashimov Memorial Chess Super Tournament in <keyword id="19940590" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Azerbaijan" source="keywords">Azerbaijan</keyword> for an audience with Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> here on Thursday. Gujrathi had won the Azerbaijan event last year after outperforming compatriot <keyword id="20489182" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arjun-Erigaisi" source="keywords">Arjun Erigaisi</keyword>. He was a part of the <keyword id="20634536" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-mens-team" source="keywords">Indian men's team</keyword>, which also included <keyword id="20336261" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="D-Gukesh" source="keywords">D Gukesh</keyword>, <keyword id="20080528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="R-Praggnanandhaa" source="keywords">R Praggnanandhaa</keyword> and Arjun, that won a historic Chess Olympiad gold in the Open category. Gujrathi took to 'X', formerly twitter, to inform that he reached Baku for the event but decided to return to India to meet Modi on learning about the felicitation function. "I reached Baku and I got to know our Hon'ble PM wants to felicitate the Indian team. I was overjoyed when I heard this and I wanted to be a part of it. It's amazing at how such short notice he is taking out time for us," Gujrathi wrote on 'X'. Gujrathi, 29, has been replaced by Aravindh Chithambaram for the event to be held from September 25-30. "I contacted Sarkhan Gashimov (organiser) and he understood my sentiments. Big thanks to him! Wishing Aravindh the best to play against top players in this prestigious event," Gujrathi wrote.

Chess Olympiad winner Vidit Gujrathi ditches title-defending match in Azerbaijan to meet PM Modi

R <keyword id="19987305" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="praggnanandhaa" source="keywords">Praggnanandhaa</keyword> set the tone on the top board as the Indian men's team blanked Morocco 4-0, while the women romped home against Jamaica, conceding just a draw in the process, in the first round of the 45th <keyword id="6362158" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chess" source="Orion">Chess</keyword> <keyword id="6417781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="olympiad" source="Orion">Olympiad</keyword> here. With world championship challenger D Gukesh taking a break in the opening round, Praggnanandhaa delivered the goods against <keyword id="23137140" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tissir-mohamed" source="keywords">Tissir Mohamed</keyword> out of a Sicilian defense game while Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi and P Harikrishna also pulled off comfortable wins to start off confidently on Wednesday. In the women's section, <keyword id="2588824" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="R-Vaishali" source="Orion">R Vaishali</keyword> and <keyword id="22399512" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tania-sachdev" source="keywords">Tania Sachdev</keyword> scored fine victories in the first time control itself. However, on the other two boards there was stiff resistance as <keyword id="20380119" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="divya-deshmukh" source="keywords">Divya Deshmukh</keyword> had to sweat hard for a much-needed victory while Vantika Agarwal was forced to concede a draw in the endgame against her rival. It was business as usual for the top guns despite the occasional hiccups. Top seeded United States also won 3.5-0.5 against Panama. Wesley So was the lone American who was unable to force matters and had to be content with a draw. Armenian-American Levon Aronian came out of an early mishap to turn the tables and ensure smooth sailing for the American team into round two. As many as 99 teams in the open section started off with wins giving them all two points each. A total of 182 teams were paired while 15 teams were still grappling to reach Budapest. Praggnanandhaa was up against a Sicilian by top Moroccan Mohamed who had only himself to blame after the opening got over. The Indian teen had a stronghold on the king side that he utilised to the fullest to take the first point home for the team. Not very far behind was Gujrathi who was clearly in his elements. He also got an opening advantage out of a King pawn game against <keyword id="23137139" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jacques-elbilia" source="keywords">Jacques Elbilia</keyword> as he knocked down a pawn and never looked back. Erigaise may have had to work harder but the Indian youngster, who is currently ranked number four in the world, was never far from winning his game. Harikrishna faced some initial resistance from Anas Mosyad in a closed Sicilian but his superior understanding of the structure gave him the vital point. The second round will see the Indian men clash with a spirited Iceland. In the women's competition, <keyword id="20251131" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaishali" source="keywords">Vaishali</keyword> had no trouble in converting her position with black pieces as D Harika was rested on the top board. Tania Sachdev was in command right through and despite a little mess-up, she did not let the advantage slip through her hands playing on board four. On the second board, there were some serious issues for Divya Deshmukh but the recently-crowned world junior girls' champion proved her mettle out of an equal position. The same, however, was not the case with Vantika as she was forced in a drawn queen and pawns endgame. The women's event features 178 teams as of now with 19 still awaited to join the extravaganza from round two onward. Indian results round 1: R Praggnanandhaa beat Tissir Mohamed; Jacques Elbilia lost to Arjun Erigaisi; Vidit Gujrathi beat Ouakhir Mehdi Pierre; Anas Moayad lost to P Harikrishna Women: R Vaishali beat Adani Clarke; Divya Deshmukh beat Rachel Miller; Raehanna Brown drew with Vantika Agrawal; Tania Sachdev beat Gabriella Watson.

Chess: Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali star in India's strong start at Olympiad

World Championship challenger Grandmaster D <keyword id="19905851" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gukesh" source="keywords">Gukesh</keyword> played out a <keyword id="20587469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="draw" source="keywords">draw</keyword> with tournament leader and top seed Fabiano <keyword id="20560751" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Caruana" source="keywords">Caruana</keyword> of United States in the seventh round of the Superbet classic <keyword id="20021338" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chess" source="keywords">chess</keyword> tournament here. On another all-draws day, R <keyword id="19987305" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Praggnanandhaa" source="keywords">Praggnanandhaa</keyword> signed peace with Ian <keyword id="21315166" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nepomniachtchi" source="keywords">Nepomniachtchi</keyword> of Russia leaving the lead positions intact like the previous round. Caruana on 4.5 points remains in front with two victories and five draws, he is followed by Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Alireza Firouzja of France, who are all half a point behind the American. Nepomniachtchi shares the fifth spot with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France with a fifty percent score, a half point ahead of the trio of American Wesley So, Dutch Anish Giri and Uzbekistan's first son in chess Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Just two rounds remain in the USD 350000 prize money tournament. Gukesh's choice of Italian opening gave him an optical advantage against Caruana. After the initial tussle, the players reached a middle game wherein the Indian had an edge thanks to better placed forces but Caruana was up to the task in finding the defense to maintain the balance. The pieces got traded at regular intervals in this encounter and the players arrived at a Queen and rook endgame where neither side had a real chance. The game was drawn after 62 moves. Praggnanandhaa had a relatively easy day against Nepomniachtchi despite playing black. Years of working with World number one <keyword id="19903492" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="magnus-carlsen" source="keywords">Magnus Carlsen</keyword> and his own expertise as the two-time world championship challenger has made Nepomniachtchi a leading theoretician but in the seventh round the Indian surprised him with what looked like a sensational preparation. The next round would mostly decide the final outcome of the tournament as Caruana is facing Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh has a tough nut to crack in his final white game in Anish. Firouzja might also fancy his chances for a maiden victory in the Grand chess tour if he can conquer the machine-like precision of Nepomniachtchi. Results round 7: Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID, 3.5) drew with R Praggnaanandhaa (Ind. 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rom, 2) drew with Alireza Firouzja (fra, 4); Anish Giri (Ned, 3) drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 3.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (Usa, 4.5); Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 3.5) beat Wesley So (Usa, 3) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 3).

Chess: Gukesh holds Caruana; Praggnanandhaa draws with Nepomniachtchi

<keyword id="21330123" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Grandmaster" source="keywords">Indian Grandmaster</keyword> R <keyword id="19987305" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Praggnanandhaa" source="keywords">Praggnanandhaa</keyword> crushed world number one <keyword id="19903492" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Magnus-Carlsen" source="keywords">Magnus Carlsen</keyword> for the first time in Classical format to emerge as the sole leader in the <keyword id="20514241" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Norway-chess" source="keywords">Norway chess</keyword> tournament here. Having beating him a few times in online and faster versions of the game and after losing to him in the finale of the last World Cup, Praggnanandhaa finally got past the home favourite in what would be known as a clear classical triumph. Following the third-round win, the 18-year-old Indian now leads the men's section with 5.5 points in all, half a point clear of USA's Fabiano Caruana who scored his first victory in classical against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China. <keyword id="19977603" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Carlsen" source="keywords">Carlsen</keyword>, on three points, looks like a distant third for now in the updated standings but with each <keyword id="21864928" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="classical-win" source="keywords">classical win</keyword> worth three points, this might not hold for too long. <keyword id="19962031" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hikaru-Nakamura" source="keywords">Hikaru Nakamura</keyword> of United States, Firouzja Alireza of France and Liren are all joint fourth currently on 2.5 points in the six-player double round-robin contest. "I wish Magnus would take similar risks against us old folks," said Nakamura on Carlsen's choice of playing a risky battle against Praggnanandhaa. Classical chess, also known as slow chess, allows players significant amount of time to make their moves, usually at least one hour. Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa had drawn their previous three encounters in this format In the women's event, Praggnanandhaa's elder sister R Vaishali maintained her sole lead after getting past Anna Muzychuk of Norway in the Armageddon game after drawing the Classical. Vaishali inched up to 5.5 points too and enjoys a full-point lead over women's world champion Wenjun Ju of China who is sole second by a half point margin over compatriot Tingjie Lei. Muzychuk, Pia Cramling of Sweden and Koneru Humpy share the fourth spot here on three points each. It was a Sicilian Kann, an opening that does not find many favours in the elite chess circles, wherein Praggnanandhaa got an advantage through better space control right from the beginning. The middle game saw Magnus' king stuck in the centre and the Indian super-talent capitalised with some deft manoeuvres after the minor pieces were off the board. Eventually, the King's vulnerability came to question as Praggnanandhaa posed some dangerous checkmate threats. The game lasted just 37 moves. Caruana outclassed Liren out of an Italian opening game. Launching the offensive on the king side the American, who had lost the first two rounds under Armageddon, he sacrificed two minor pieces for a rook to rip apart black's King side and another exchange sacrifice soon sealed the game in his favour. In the other game of the day, Nakamura proved superior as white against Alireza in the USD 1,60,000 prize money event. In the women's section, Vaishali ensured that her lead remained intact after a draw in Armageddon as black against Muzychuk. Seven rounds still remain in both sections of the event. Results ===== Men: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) beat Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 3) 3-0; Fabiano Caruana (Usa, 5) beat Ding Liren (Chn, 2.5) 3-0; Hikaru Nakamura (Usa, 2.5) beat Firouzja Alireza (Fra, 2.5) 1.5-1. Women: Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 3) lost to R Vaishali (Ind, 5.5) 1-1.5; Koneru Humpy (Ind, 3) beat Tinglie Lei (Chn, 4) 1-1.5; Pia Cramling (Swe, 3) lost to Wenjun Ju (Chn, 1-1.5. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-wwdc-2024-to-begin-with-keynote-on-june-10-event-schedule-what-to-expect-and-more/articleshow/110537952.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-wwdc-2024-to-begin-with-keynote-on-june-10-event-schedule-what-to-expect-and-more/articleshow/110537952.cms" target="_blank">Apple WWDC 2024 to begin with keynote on June 10 – event schedule, what to expect and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/adani-paytm-deal-both-one97-communications-and-adani-group-deny-reports-as-baseless-and-speculative/articleshow/110530843.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/adani-paytm-deal-both-one97-communications-and-adani-group-deny-reports-as-baseless-and-speculative/articleshow/110530843.cms" target="_blank">Adani-Paytm Deal: Both One97 Communications and Adani Group deny reports as ‘baseless’ and ‘speculative’</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jiocinema-launches-new-annual-ad-free-subscription-plan-at-a-discount/articleshow/110486706.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jiocinema-launches-new-annual-ad-free-subscription-plan-at-a-discount/articleshow/110486706.cms" target="_blank">JioCinema launches new annual ad-free subscription plan at a discount</a>

Norway chess: Praggnanandhaa claims maiden classical win over Carlsen, takes sole lead

Baku (Azerbaijan), Continuing his dream run, Indian Grandmaster R <keyword id="4016708" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Praggnanandhaa" source="Orion">Praggnanandhaa</keyword> on Monday stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals to set up a summit clash with world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway at the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here. After the two-game classical series ended 1-1, the 18-year-old Indian prodigy outlasted the highly-rated American GM in a battle of wits in a nerve-wracking tie-breaker. In the final beginning on Tuesday, Praggnanandhaa will take on five-times title winner Carlsen, who beat Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov 1.5-0.5 in his semifinal. Praggnanandhaa becomes the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament. "I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didn't expect to be in the final. I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!," he said after booking a spot in the summit clash. "It feels really good to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot." With the two 25'+10" games ending at 1-all, Praggnanandhaa prevailed in the first 10'+10" game against Caruana to get within a draw of setting up a final clash with world No.1 Carlsen. "Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!," chess legend Viswanathan Anand posted on social networking site 'X', formerly Twitter. In the first game of tie-break, the Indian GM withstood a lot of pressure from Caruana and held on for a draw in an exciting encounter. The second rapid game too saw a similar result, pushing the semifinals to the 10'+10' series. Praggnanandhaa has been in a rich vein of form in the World Cup and his biggest scalp before Caruana was another American Hikaru Nakamura, the world No.2 and second-seed, following which he stopped compatriot Arjun Erigaisi. "Congratulations @rpragchess for winning against Fabiano and going to the finals at the World Cup in 2023! Proud and happy!," noted chess coach R B Ramesh wrote on 'X'. Former women's world No.1 Susan Polgar also hailed the young Indian GM. "Congratulations to GM Praggnanandhaa for reaching the 2023 World Cup final to face Magnus! He defeated world #2 Fabiano in the playoff to earn the coveted spot! He also defeated world #3 Hikaru earlier!" AICF president Sanjay Kapoor said, "Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa @rpragchess on his amazing victory &amp; making it to the FINALS of @FIDE_chess Chess World Cup. Bravo! Indian chess lovers can't wait for the Final as it promises to be one RED HOT Contest with the World no.1 @MagnusCarlsen on the other side!" By becoming only the second Indian after Anand to reach the semifinals of the world cup, Pragg booked a spot in the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren. The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to current world champion Liren of China.

World Cup chess: Praggnanandhaa shocks Caruana, meets Carlsen in final

<ul><li><keyword id="4016708" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="praggnanandhaa" source="Orion">Praggnanandhaa</keyword> drew the first two games against <keyword id="207179" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="carlsen" source="Orion">Carlsen</keyword>.</li><li>Carlsen got the upper hand after defeating Praggnanandhaa in the first rapid game.</li><li>The World Cup performance has ensured a Candidates seat for Praggnanandhaa.</li></ul> Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has lost to former five-time World Chess Champion, Magus Carlsen in the final of the <keyword id="4974866" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="fide-chess-world-cup" source="Orion">FIDE Chess World Cup</keyword>. The first two games ended in a draw and therefore the match entered a tie-breaker. Carlsen, who has dominated chess after taking crown from India's Viswanathan Anand in 2013 won the first rapid game in the tiebreaker and managed to force a draw in the second to lift the championship. This was Praggnanandhaa's first World Cup final and he had admitted before the final that he had not expected to be playing in the last round versus one of the sports all time greats. The stunning performance in the FIDE World Cup in Baku has catapulted Praggu, as he is lovingly called, to the prestigious Candidates tournament. The all-important first tie-break Playing with white pieces, Praggnanandhaa had an advantage in the initial stages of the game and later maintained equality for a large part of the 47 move game. However, the Indian player suffered a reversal from the 37th move onwards. At that point of time, the players were left with their two rooks and minor pieces -- two knights for Carlsen and a knight and a light coloured bishop for Praggnanandhaa. The Indian player was also much behind on the clock and resigned on the 47th move. The two will play one more game and Carlsen needing just a draw to clinch the title while Pragggnanandhaa needs a win to stay in the contest. Praggu's journey so far Hailing from Chennai, the hotspot of Indian chess, Praggnanandhaa has been in the spotlight since he made waves at a young age. He won the national under-7 title to lay down the marker and has been on the rise ever since. At 10, he was an International Master and two years later, he became a GM. Late in 2019, he achieved a ELO rating of 2600 at 14 years and three months and looked to be on the overdrive. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 came as a speed bump. However, Praggnanandhaa shone in online tournaments and kept getting better. In 2021, he impressed in the Meltwater Champions Tour, scoring victories over top names like Sergey Karjakin, Teimour Radjabov and Jan-Krzystof Duda and drawing Carlsen. In 2022, his stock rose further when he stunned Carlsen in the Airthings Masters rapid tournament. He became only the third Indian after Anand and P Harikrishna to win a game against the seemingly unbeatable Carlsen. (With text input from wires)

Praggnanandhaa goes down fighting in the Chess World Cup final to Carlsen

Former World Chess Champion and Russian chess grandmaster <keyword id="151825" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="garry-kasparov" source="Orion">Garry Kasparov</keyword> has congratulated Indian grandmaster <keyword id="6686798" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rameshbabu-praggnanandhaa" source="Orion">Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa</keyword> who stormed into the final of the <keyword id="4960608" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="fide-world-cup" source="Orion">FIDE World Cup</keyword> in Baku, Azerbaijan. <keyword id="4016708" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="praggnanandhaa" source="Orion">Praggnanandhaa</keyword> defeated World No. 3 <keyword id="99931" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="fabiano-caruana" source="Orion">Fabiano Caruana</keyword> to reach the final of the FIDE World Cup, and his mother was also present at the event to witness her son's triumph. <keyword id="156061" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kasparov" source="Orion">Kasparov</keyword> called his mother's support "a special kind of support" and extended wishes to the Indian Grand Master for his exceptional performance. "Congrats to @rpragchess -and to his mother. As someone whose proud mama accompanied me to every event, it's a special kind of support! The Chennai Indian defeated two New York cowboys! He has been very tenacious in difficult positions," Kasparov wrote in his tweet. The Indian chess prodigy managed to beat the American player 3.5-2.5 after tiebreaks. He will face World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen for the title clash. Earlier, Praggnanandhaa beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a sudden death tie-break to book a place for himself in the semifinals on Thursday. The 17-year-old Praggnanandhaa has already secured a spot in next year's Candidates event. Praggnanandhaa created history by advancing to the final of the FIDE World Cup, his coach RB Ramesh expressed his immense pride in Praggnanandhaa's exceptional performance in the global tournament and said that he is optimistic about Prags chances in view of the openings strategies discussed. "I am extremely proud that he has been doing phenomenally well in this World Cup and he qualified for the World Cup final. And what I hear is he is the youngest to do so. And also he is the only Indian to qualify for the final," coach Ramesh told ANI. The final matches of the FIDE World Cup will begin on Tuesday. (ANI)

Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov hails Indian prodigy Praggnanandhaa for reaching FIDE WC final

India’s chess wizard Praggnanandhaa stuns world champion Magnus Carlsen – Checkout his accomplishments

<keyword id="232713" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="hangzhou" source="Orion">Hangzhou</keyword> (China), <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s campaign for excellence in the Paris <keyword id="6450929" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="olympic-games" source="Orion">Olympic Games</keyword> next year faces some crucial tests starting from Saturday when the 19th <keyword id="84384" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="asian-games" source="Orion">Asian Games</keyword> officially kick off in Hangzhou, China. India has set itself an ambitious target of achieving medals in double digits for the first time in the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 and the 19th Asian Games not only present an opportunity to assess the preparation of its athletes but also provide Olympic qualification quotas in some sports. Postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across China last year, the 2022 Asian Games are being conducted within the qualifying period for Olympic Games in all sports and thus provide opportunities for sportspersons to book their berths to France. Indian sportspersons in many sports including men's and women's hockey, table tennis and boxing will get a chance to qualify for the Olympics at Hangzhou. With the Central Government pumping in huge sums to fulfil its dream of Olympic excellence, India is expecting to achieve its best-ever medal haul in the Asian Games at Hangzhou. India's previous best medal haul in the Continental Jamboree has been the 70 medals bagged in Indonesia four years back in 2018. Its campaign spearheaded by the likes of Olympic and World Championship gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, two-time World Champion boxer Nikhat Zareen, Olympic bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, men's doubles tennis legend <keyword id="12295" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohan-bopanna" source="Orion">Rohan Bopanna</keyword>, chess champs Koneru Humpy, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu in badminton and table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal, India go into the Hangzhou Asian Games in bullish mood, hoping to challenge the Asian superpowers China, Japan, South Korea and Iran and finish fifth or above. Besides hoping to win its first gold medal since 2014, the Indian men's hockey team will be hoping to clinch a direct berth in the Paris Olympics by winning the gold medal in Hangzhou. The women's hockey team led by goalkeeper Savita Punia has landed in China to not only clinch its berth for Paris 2024 but also bag its first gold medal in the Asian Games since 1982 when women's hockey made its debut in the continental extravaganza. The women's hockey team led by Rajbir Kaur won the title at home in New Delhi and since then India have claimed silver medal twice -- in 1998 and 2018 -- and bronze medal thrice -- in 1986, 2006 and 2014. The team has finished fourth on four occasions. Overall India have won 671 medals in the 19 editions of the Asian Games so far -- 155 gold, 200 silver and 316 bronze medals. The Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) are hoping to add a substantial chunk of medals to the kitty at Hangzhou and maybe cross the 100-medal mark. Though that may look like a tall order considering the country's best effort so far has been 70 in 2018, it does not sound like an impossible target considering the recent performances by the Indian sportspersons in recent times and the new sports that have been added to the programme here at Hangzhou. India hopes to garner most of its medals from athletics, its bread-and-butter sport at the Asian level, shooting, boxing, wrestling, tennis, rowing and sailing. With esports making its debut as a medal sport in Hangzhou and chess returning to the Games for the first time since 2010, India will also be hoping to bag some medals in badminton, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, judo, wushu and equestrian. The country has sent in a huge Contingent of 921 which includes 655 athletes and 260 coaches and support staff. Competitions have already started in men's and women's football, sailing, rowing, cricket, table tennis, volleyball and beach volleyball. The medal hunt will start on September 24, the day after the Games are officially declared open, with shooters providing the first medal for Another reason for aiming for a rich medal haul at Hangzhou is that India hopes to organise the Asian Games for the third time in the next few years. A rich medal haul at Hangzhou will also boost the country's image and get support for hosting the event for the third time after 1951 and 1982. Can Hangzhou be a stepping stone for Indian sports on way to excelling at Paris 2024 and organising the Asian Games soon? The result will be out on October 8, when the 19th Asian Games will come to a close.

You Searched For "praggnanandhaa" and got 9 results

Chess Olympiad winner Vidit Gujrathi ditches title-defending match in Azerbaijan to meet PM Modi

PTI

Chess: Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali star in India's strong start at Olympiad

PTI

Chess: Gukesh holds Caruana; Praggnanandhaa draws with Nepomniachtchi

PTI

Norway chess: Praggnanandhaa claims maiden classical win over Carlsen, takes sole lead

PTI

World Cup chess: Praggnanandhaa shocks Caruana, meets Carlsen in final

PTI

Praggnanandhaa goes down fighting in the Chess World Cup final to Carlsen

BI India Bureau

Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov hails Indian prodigy Praggnanandhaa for reaching FIDE WC final

ANI

India’s chess wizard Praggnanandhaa stuns world champion Magnus Carlsen – Checkout his accomplishments

Vaamanaa Sethi

Asian Games: At Hangzhou, India on a quest for excellence and preparing for Paris 2024

IANS

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