Latest news with #Song
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Divya Deshmukh defeats Harika Dronavalli in all-Indian clash to make her way to FIDE Women's World Cup semifinals
Divya Deshmukh on Monday knocked out her compatriot GM Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in the Rapid tiebreaks of the quarterfinals and moved to the semifinals of FIDE Women's World Cup. The 19-year-old will be up against China GM Tan Zhongyi in the last 4. On Sunday, the match between two had ended in a draw which necessitated the tie-break games where Divya came up trumps on Monday. Much like Saturday's 31-move encounter, both players avoided significant risks on Sunday, though their 60-move duel lasted nearly twice as long before ending in an agreed draw, clearly conserving energy for the decisive tiebreaks. On Sunday, Koneru Humpy played out a fine counterattacking game to hold International Master Yuxin Song of China and march into the semifinals. Having won the first game with white pieces, Humpy was only a draw away from reaching the last four stage, and she achieved it after a keenly contested second game against the Chinese. With fourth place assured, Humpy will get two chances to reach the top three which will also guarantee her a place at next Women's Candidates' tournament for which the top three from here qualify. Grandmaster R Vaishali ran out of luck as she lost from slightly better prospects against former world women's champion Zhongyi Tan of China. Vaishali who had drawn the first game lost by the same score as Song. Apart from Tan, top seed Tingjie Lei of China also made it to the semifinals at the expense of Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia. Yuxin Song had to win to stay in the hunt against Humpy and her preferred choice was the Jobava's London, an opening that is fancied these days by many strong Grandmasters. Humpy equalised without much ado but then sacrificed two pawns in tandem to give white some hopes. However, Song's pawn structure was really broken with three pawns standing on a sole file and Humpy found her counter play in the centre. Recovering the pawns Humpy was happy to lead the game to a level rook and pawns endgame. Song tried in vain for 53 moves before splitting the point. (With agency inputs)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
FIDE Women's World Cup: Koneru Humpy on song, enters semifinals
Koneru Humpy (FIDE | X) Nagpur: Experienced Grandmaster and world No. 5 Koneru Humpy made China's 19-year-old Yuxin Song dance to her tunes to enter the semifinals of the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, on Sunday. Humpy split the point with young Song in 53 moves in the second game to clinch the quarterfinal contest 1.5-0.5 and set her semifinal date with an experienced Chinese GM and top seed, Lei Tingjie. The world No.3, Tingjie, ended the campaign of Georgia's Nana Dzagnidze with a 2-0 triumph. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Tingjie utilised her opening advantage with the white pieces to register a hard-fought 72-move victory and entered the semifinal in style by winning both her games in the classical format. The battle between Divya Deshmukh and D Harika, ended in an entertaining 60-move draw. The quarterfinal will now be decided in the tiebreaks to be played in the rapid and blitz formats with different time controls. Another India-China clash saw a marathon game where China's world No.8 Tan Zhongyi ended Vaishali Rameshbabu's campaign. In a marathon 88-move Semi-Slav defense, Vaishali failed to defend with her black pieces, losing the second game and bowing out of the quarterfinals 0.5-1.5. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 most beautiful women in the world Undo The contest between an experienced Indian GM and China's young International Master (IM) saw a Queen's Pawn Opening game of Chigorin Variation, with Humpy defending an unusual position where Song lined up her pawns by the 19th move. Aiming to come out of that unusual position, Humpy brought her rook into the field and made a dubious move on the 32nd turn. The position protecting Song's citadel remained the same until the 35th turn when Humpy checked her Chinese opponent, and both exchanged their queens. Humpy then utilised the services of her attacking pawn while bringing her rook into a better position. With Humpy all set to become two pawns up, both players repeated their moves, and the game ended in a draw. Humpy said, 'It feels happy to qualify for the semifinal without playing tiebreaks. I could have played better, but in time trouble, I slipped. I will utilise the rest day in preparing as my semifinal is going to be very tough. Being a top seed, she is one of the strongest opponents.' In the battle of compatriots, defending with her black pieces against an experienced Harika was always a tough task for Divya. The 19-year-old came under severe time trouble, and despite an advancing pawn in an equal position with both having a rook and three pawns at the 42nd turn, Divya had to take more time to bail herself out. She did that by bringing her king to the centre, and both were left with a rook and two pawns in the endgame. Though Divya became a pawn up on the 52nd turn, she was severely low on time, and Harika had placed her king in a better position. Within the next eight moves, both Divya and Harika signed the peace treaty to head into the tiebreaks for a place in the semifinals. India No. 3 and 15th ranked Vaishali suffered a heartbreaking defeat against China No. 4, Tan. For the second successive day, Vaishali and Tan played out a lengthy game and were the last to finish their contest. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Soprano Hwang Sumi offers self-curated 'Soundtrack' trilogy ― song, opera, cinema
Acclaimed soprano steps beyond stage to shape Lotte Concert Hall's signature matinee program, offering distinct musical experiences In the latter half of 2025, soprano Hwang Sumi will take the reins of Lotte Concert Hall's matinee series as both curator and performer. Titled 'Soundtrack,' the three-part concert series will showcase the artist's range across the classical, operatic and cinematic genres ― each installment exploring a different facet of the 39-year-old soprano's musical identity. For the internationally renowned soprano and respected educator, the project marks a meaningful expansion of her role. 'I've always appeared on stage solely as a performer. But for this series, I was also in charge of programming and casting, which was a big challenge,' Hwang said during a press conference Thursday at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul. 'Because the concerts are under my name, I feel a responsibility to give audiences a truly sincere and fulfilling performance.' The series opens on Sept. 18 with a program titled 'Song,' designed to be both sophisticated and approachable. The repertoire includes Clara Schumann's "Ich Stand in Dunklen Traumen" ("I Stand in Darkness"), Robert Schumann's "Widmung" ("Dedication") and Reynaldo Hahn's "Si Mes Vers Avaient Des Ailes" ("If My Verses Had Wings"). Hwang will be joined by tenor Kim Woo-kyung and pianist An Jong-do. On Oct. 16, the spotlight turns to "Opera." Hwang ― who gained early recognition in Europe before her 2014 Queen Elisabeth Competition win, and became the only East Asian soloist at Bonn Opera House ― will lead a concert version of Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte" ("So Do They All"), joined by a cast of fellow opera singers. The final concert, 'Cinema,' on Nov. 20, features musical actor Kai, a classically trained baritone. Hwang revealed that during her college years at Seoul National University, she once considered a path in musical theater and had even sought Kai's advice at the time. 'Many people think I only do traditional classical music, but with this matinee series, I want to show another side of myself. These days, especially in Korea, the lines between classical and nonclassical music are becoming increasingly blurred," she said. "As a performer, I have many things I want to explore on stage. But as an educator, I'm also aware that my choices can influence my students ― so I try to be selective about the stages I take.' Beyond her versatility, Hwang remains steadfast in her artistic principles. 'If a role doesn't suit my voice and abilities, I simply turn it down,' she said. "When I was in Europe, I was often asked to play Cio-Cio San in 'Madama Butterfly' ― likely because I'm Asian. It would have been a fast track to fame, but I turned down every offer because of the vocal and physical strain. I want to preserve my voice and perform for many years." All concerts begin at 11:30 AM and run for 70 minutes. Tickets range from 10,000 won to 45,000 won.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Malay Mail
Man dies as 4WD plunges into 10m ravine in Kapit's logging road, four others survive
SIBU, July 21 — An elderly man died while four others survived after the four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle they were in skidded and plunged into a ravine at Kilometre 38.6 of Jalan Musah/Kajah, Song in Kapit Division last night. A spokesperson at the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department's Operations Centre said the victim, identified as Berain Sinau, 81, died after the Mitsubishi Triton vehicle plunged into the ravine, which is about 10 metres deep. According to him, another passenger, Basir Dingun, 43, suffered injuries and was sent to Kanowit Hospital by passers-by, while the driver, aged 50, and two other passengers, aged 61 and 44 respectively, did not suffer any injuries. 'There were five individuals in the vehicle. One died on the scene, one was injured, while the other three survived without injury,' he said in a statement today. He said the emergency call regarding the incident was received at 7.50 pm, and the Operations Response Team (PKO) from the Song Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) was deployed to the location with the assistance of the Song police using two four-wheel drive vehicles. 'The rescue team had to travel through a logging road for 46 kilometres before arriving at the location at 9.23 pm. A bulldozer from a nearby logging company was used to clear the path and tow the vehicle to a safer location,' he said. The rescue operation was completed at 12.50 am. — Bernama
News18
4 days ago
- Sport
- News18
FIDE Women's World Cup: Koneru Humpy Beats Yuxin Song, A Draw Away From Semis
Last Updated: Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy defeated China's Yuxin Song in the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup quarterfinals. Divya Deshmukh and D Harika drew, as did R Vaishali and Zhongyi Tan. Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy outclassed China's Yuxin Song in the first game of the quarterfinals, making significant progress towards the last four of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup on Saturday. Humpy was at the top of her game against Song, who played the black side of an English opening. From the start, Humpy had clear ideas as the game developed into a structure similar to a Catalan opening. In the early middle game, Humpy launched an offensive in the centre, sacrificing a pawn to significantly weaken black's pawn structure. Song struggled from this point and could not find a way to recover. Humpy advanced another pawn and by the time the dust settled, Song was two pawns down. Despite fighting on for 53 moves, Song could not secure a miracle. Meanwhile, the all-Indian clash between Divya Deshmukh and D Harika ended in a draw after both players played solidly without giving anything away. The game began with a Ruy Lopez, where Divya, playing white, chose a less-played system. Harika was well-prepared to keep white's pieces at bay, resulting in a position with few opportunities. After the queens were traded, the draw was inevitable and was agreed upon after just 31 moves. In a tactical battle, Dzagnidze found her opponent to be smarter. The transition to a hanging pawns structure made both kings vulnerable in the middle game, but Lei struck first and won a knight. The subsequent endgame was straightforward. What About Other Indians? In the other quarterfinal match, R Vaishali drew with former world women's champion Zhongyi Tan of China. Vaishali's Italian opening with white did not pose much of a problem for Tan, as the position remained close to equal. In the endgame, Vaishali exchanged a rook for a bishop, resulting in a drawn position. She continued playing the longest game of the day, which ended after 73 moves. The World Cup has a total prize pool of USD 691,250, with USD 50,000 for the winner. Additionally, there are three qualifying spots for the next women's Candidates' Tournament, which will determine the challenger to reigning champion Wenjun Ju in the next women's world championship match. Quarterfinal results game 1: Koneru Humpy (Ind) beat Yuxin Song (Chn); Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) lost to Tingjie Lei (Chn) (Ind); R Vaishali (Ind) drew with Tan Zhongyi (Chn); Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with D Harika (Ind). view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
