
D Gukesh loses to Praggnanandhaa in Blitz after rapid win, trails Carlsen
Meanwhile, Carlsen scored a whopping 7.5 points from his nine games to come back in front. It was indeed an indication of things to come since in the last edition, the Norwegian had won his last nine games to be crowned champion.Gukesh was at his prime in the rapid section wherein he won as many as six games, including one against Carlsen, but the Indian was way below par in the blitz which saw him losing six games on the opening day of the fastest version of the game.It remains to be seen who is going to rule the roost on the final day but for now, Carlsen remains the firm favourite for the crown with 17.5 points in all out of a possible 27. He has a 1.5-point lead over Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland, who also did well on the first day of blitz.With nine rounds still to come in the blitz section, Carlsen is likely to win by scoring six points out of remaining games but Gukesh has to do much better as he has been completely out of sort in this version.Carlsen had earlier termed Gukesh as not up to the mark in the other formats, while Gukesh had proven him wrong in rapid chess. In blitz, the world champion still has to prove himself.Standings after round 9 (blitz): 1. Magnus Carlsen (Pol, 17.5); 2. Duda Jan-Krzysztof (Pol 16); 3. D Gukesh (Ind, 15.5); 4. Wesley So (Usa, 14.5); 5. R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 13.5); 6-7. Alireza Firouzja (Fra), Fabiano Caruana (Usa) 13 each; 8-9:. Anish Giri (Ned) Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) 11 each; 10. Ivan Saric 10.- Ends

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First Post
35 minutes ago
- First Post
Gukesh misses out on top spot despite improved performance as Carlsen wins SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz 2025
Despite emerging the top player in the Rapid section of the Grand Chess Tour event in Zagreb, D Gukesh finished third with 19.5 points, three less than world No 1 Magnus Carlsen. read more Magnus Carlsen surged ahead of D Gukesh and finished with 22.5 points at the end of the Rapid and Blitz games to be crowned SuperUnited Croatia winner. Image: Grand Chess Tour D Gukesh had a slightly better run on Sunday, the second day of the Blitz competition at SuperUnited Croatia, the Grand Chess Tour's event in Zagreb, by collecting three wins and two draws. That, however, did not prove enough for the Indian Grandmaster to retain the top spot in the tournament standings as Magnus Carlsen clinched the title with a final score of 22.5 points. Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen!🏆 With one round to spare, Magnus clinches first place at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia! Another dominant performance in the Grand Chess Tour! 🔥♟️#MagnusCarlsen #GrandChessTour — Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) July 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh had finished as the top player at the end of the Rapid section of the tournament with 14 points, finishing well ahead of Polish Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda (11) and Carlsen (10), producing the kind of performance that helped him shatter his image of being a Classical-specialist. The 19-year-old GM, however, undid his hard work in the Rapid rounds by losing his first five Blitz games on the trot on Saturday, the penultimate day of the competition, and ending the day with seven losses in nine outings. Gukesh puts up improved Blitz performance on final day at Zagreb That stretched to nine defeats in 11 games after the chess star from Chennai began the final day of the tournament with back-to-back losses – against Wesley So and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. He would later collect victories over Duda, Ivan Saric and Fabiano Caruana besides holding Carlsen and compatriot R Praggnanandhaa to a draw. Despite his improved performance on Sunday, Gukesh finished at the bottom of the Blitz standings with 5.5 points. As for the overall standings, he finished third, behind Carlsen and American GM So. The final standings of the GCT Croatia. — Take Take Take (@TakeTakeTakeApp) July 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen, who had suffered a second defeat against Praggnanandhaa in as many tournaments last week, was off to a strong start on Day 1 of the Blitz event with six wins and three draws – against Duda, So and Dutch GM Anish Giri. So, on the other hand, had a poor run in the Rapid games but bounced back in Blitz to finish second with 20 points, half-a-point ahead of Gukesh.


India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
India's Birmingham hero Akash Deep reveals sister's cancer diagnosis, says playing this match
Birmingham [UK], July 7 (ANI): Following his side's win over England, Indian pacer Akash Deep revealed that he played the match because he wanted to make his sister, who has been suffering from cancer for the past two months, happy. 'She will be the happiest.' Akash delivered a performance of a life-time, shutting up doubts about a Jasprit Bumrah-less Indian pace line-up with a ten-wicket haul to deliver India their first win at Edgbaston, beating England by 336 runs. 'The biggest thing is that I have not told anyone yet. My elder sister has been suffering from cancer for the last 2 months. She is stable now. She is fine. She will be the happiest. She has been going through this mentally for the last 2 months. She will be the happiest. I was playing this match for her. I have to make her happy for this match,' Akash Deep said while talking to batter Cheteshwar Pujara, now on broadcasting duties. The pacer etched his name in the record books by registering the best bowling figures in a match for India in England, surpassing the long-standing record held by Chetan Sharma. Deep's match figures of 10/187 edged past Sharma's 10/188. The Bengal speedster was in fiery rhythm throughout the Test, dismantling England's batting with a lethal combination of pace and accuracy. After picking up 4/88 in the first innings to lay the foundation, Akash Deep returned in the second innings to claim his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket, finishing with 6/99. Coming to the match, England once again opted to field first. After getting KL Rahul (2) early, a 80-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (87 in 107 balls, with 13 fours) and Karun Nair (31 in 50 balls, with five fours) helped India gain some footing in the match. Skipper Shubman Gill had valuable partnerships of 203 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (89 in 137 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and a 144-run stand against Washington Sundar (42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six), helping India towards 587, scoring 269 in 387 balls himself, with 30 fours and three sixes. Shoaib Bashir (3/167) was the pick of the bowlers for England, while Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue also managed two each. In England's first innings, India had them on the ropes with 84/5. However, a 303-run stand between Harry Brook (158 in 234 balls, with 17 fours and a six) and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (184* in 207 balls, with 21 fours and four sixes) sent India on an endless hunt for leather and answers. However, Siraj (6/70) and Akash Deep (4/88) got something out of the new ball and tumbled down the last five wickets for 20 runs, bundling them down for 407 runs, gaining a 180-run lead. India's response was a swift half-century partnership between Jaiswal (28 in 22 balls, with six fours) and KL Rahul, who also continued his good run with a 10-boundary-filled 55 in 84 balls. A 110-run stand for the fourth wicket between Rishabh Pant (65 in 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and Gill upped the attack, while Gill managed yet another epic 175-run stand with Jadeja, scoring 161 in 162 balls, with 13 fours and eight sixes. Jadeja scored an unbeaten 69* in 118 balls, with five fours and a six. India declared at 427/6, leading by 607 runs and setting England a monstrous 608 runs to win. During the run-chase, England was restricted to 50/3. Jamie Smith (88 in 99, with nine fours and four sixes) was the only glimmer of hope for England as they were skittled out for just 271 runs, losing by 336 runs, thanks to a brilliant spell from Akash Deep (6/99), who ended up taking a ten-fer. (ANI)


India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"Not Gumrah without Bumrah": Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh among stars congratulating Team India on historic Birmingham win
Birmingham [UK], July 6 (ANI): The Indian cricketing fraternity expressed happiness as Team India broke their winless streak at Birmingham, with standout efforts from skipper Shubman Gill, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj sealing their first-ever win at Edgbaston Stadium on Sunday. It was a complete team effort, be it 269 and 161 from skipper Gill, Akash Deep's ten-wicket haul, Siraj's six-wicket haul in the first innings or Ravindra Jadeja's twin fifties, every effort counted as Team India levelled the five-match series 1-1. Indian batting legend and ex-Test captain Virat Kohli hailed Team India for being 'fearless and kept pushing England to the wall.' 'Great victory for India at Edgbaston. Fearless and kept pushing England to the wall. Brilliantly led by Shubhman with the bat and in the field, and impactful performances from everyone. Special mention to Siraj and Akash for the way they bowled on this pitch. @ShubmanGill @mdsirajofficial #AkashDeep.' The former World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also hailed skipper Gill for showing 'maturity beyond his years'. 'Winning a Test in England is about showing heart when it gets tough! No @Jaspritbumrah93, away from home, backs to the wall, and still, the boys found a way! #AkashDeep was fearless and unplayable, and @ShubmanGill showed maturity beyond his years! That's the kind of win you remember. On to the next and grab the series, boys!' Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag hailed Siraj, Akash Deep and Gill for their efforts. 'Outstanding win in Birmingham. While this should be remembered as the Shubman Gill Test match for his incredible 430 runs, the efforts from Siraj in the first innings and Akash Deep in both innings on a surface which didn't have much for the bowlers were an outstanding effort. Well done, team,' posted Sehwag on X. Former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly hailed the team and also the 'workhorses' Akash Deep and Siraj. 'What a performance from shubman gill and his team.. with the bat and now with the and Siraj just brilliant .indian attack looking far superior than the English attack .. Akasdeep and Siraj are workhorses. India win without can't be a better result with the fantastic Gill in charge. What a fantastic batting effort.. @bcci @ShubmanGill,' he posted. Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan also hailed the team, posting, 'India India India. Gill Gill Gill. Creating history in Birmingham.' Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also posted, 'India not 'Gumrah'without Bumrah. #AkashDeep'. Coming to the match, England once again opted to field first. After getting KL Rahul (2) early, a 80-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (87 in 107 balls, with 13 fours) and Karun Nair (31 in 50 balls, with five fours) helped India gain some footing in the match. Skipper Shubman Gill had valuable partnerships of 203 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (89 in 137 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and a 144-run stand against Washington Sundar (42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six), helping India towards 587, scoring 269 in 387 balls himself, with 30 fours and three sixes. Shoaib Bashir (3/167) was the pick of the bowlers for England, while Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue also managed two England's first innings, India had them on the ropes with 84/5. However, a 303-run stand between Harry Brook (158 in 234 balls, with 17 fours and a six) and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (184* in 207 balls, with 21 fours and four sixes) sent India on an endless hunt for leather and answers. However, Siraj (6/70) and Akash Deep (4/88) got something out of the new ball and tumbled down the last five wickets for 20 runs, bundling them down for 407 runs, gaining a 180-run lead. India's response was a swift half-century partnership between Jaiswal (28 in 22 balls, with six fours) and KL Rahul, who also continued his good run with a 10-boundary-filled 55 in 84 balls. A 110-run stand for the fourth wicket between Rishabh Pant (65 in 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and Gill upped the attack, while Gill managed yet another epic 175-run stand with Jadeja, scoring 161 in 162 balls, with 13 fours and eight sixes. Jadeja scored an unbeaten 69* in 118 balls, with five fours and a six. India declared at 427/6, leading by 607 runs and setting England a monstrous 608 runs to win. During the run-chase, England was restricted to 50/3. Jamie Smith (88 in 99, with nine fours and four sixes) was the only glimmer of hope for England as they were skittled out for just 271 runs, losing by 336 runs, thanks to a brilliant spell from Akash Deep (6/99), who ended up taking a ten-fer. Gill took home the 'Player of the Match' honours as India levelled the series 1-1. (ANI)