Latest news with #WorldJuniorChampion
India Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Pranav Venkatesh's grand move: World junior crown to hometown chess debut
When discussing India's chess dominance over the past year and a half, Gukesh's name often comes up. The success of both the open and women's teams at the Budapest Olympiad is frequently highlighted. Divya Deshmukh's World Cup triumph and the all-Indian final have further cemented India's position at the top of world all this glory, there was also Pranav Venkatesh, the reigning World Junior Champion. His victory in the Junior World Cup showcased the remarkable depth of talent in Indian chess. In an interview with India Today, Pranav spoke about the Chennai Grandmasters event and his experience of winning the Junior World are some excerpts from Pranav Venkatesh's interviewQ.) After winning the World Junior Championship, how did your life change overnight, especially with you now playing in the Chennai Grandmasters and soon in the Grand Swiss? Winning the World Junior title was a huge achievement for me. I was the second seed, and the field had many strong players, so I focused on giving my best. In that tournament, I felt I played really well, with strong preparation, solid physical work, and everything falling into place. One of the biggest rewards from becoming World Junior Champion was the opportunity to play a match in the Grand Swiss, which ultimately helped me qualify for the event.Q.) You initially weren't set to play in the Grand Swiss due to a drop in ranking points, but later got in through a wildcard. How did that come about?The rating list used for the Grand Swiss selection had dropped. Earlier, my rating was 2620, which should have been enough to qualify comfortably, but after a poor month, my rating fell, and I thought I wouldn't make it by rating. Then I received an email from the Asian Chess Federation about a regional wildcard from Asia. They wanted to organize a match between the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Champions. I was thrilled at that point because it gave me another chance to qualify for the Grand Swiss.Q.) With you becoming World Junior Champion and Divya Deshmukh winning the World Cup, are you now dreaming about the Candidates?That thought is always there, but for now, I'm focused on Chennai, followed by the Fujairah tournament. Both are very strong events, with players rated above 2600. After that comes the Grand Swiss, which is, of course, extremely competitive. For now, my priority is to focus on these two upcoming tournaments, play well, and see how things go—without putting too much pressure on myself.Q.) Is this your first major tournament in Chennai, your hometown, with all the local hopes on you?This is my first super tournament with all the top players, and I'm very happy that it's happening in my hometown, Chennai. I know many of the places here, so it doesn't feel like I'm traveling much. Playing at home makes me really happy, and I hope to perform After you won the World Junior Championship, did fellow Chennai player Gukesh interact with you or share any tips?We didn't have much time to meet since he was playing a lot of tournaments, and I had some as well. So, we didn't really get a chance to talk or see each other at any event.Q.) Pranav, what is your favourite opening?I think it's 1.e4 — either the Ruy Lopez or the Italian. Since the start of my chess career, I've played 1.e4. Somehow, I feel 1.e4 is more aggressive than 1.d4, and since I'm an aggressive player, I prefer 1.e4.Q.) You mentioned the Grand Swiss has a different time control. How do you mentally prepare to balance attack and defense within the given time, especially as a young player?I think it's mainly about managing your time well in the shorter formats, like 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment, without any extra time after 40 moves, or even the Grand Swiss time control. If you can handle your time effectively in the 90+30 format, the longer time controls shouldn't be a problem since you get more time also about putting pressure on your opponent—if you apply pressure early on, even with 100 minutes for 40 moves, your opponent can end up in time trouble and make mistakes. So, if you play well in the shorter formats like 90+30, you can perform well in the longer ones too.Q.) If not for chess, what career would you have pursued, and what's your favourite subject at school?I study at Vellamal, and the school has been very supportive of my chess. But honestly, I wasn't very interested in studies even before chess. Maybe I would have chosen another sport like cricket instead.- Ends
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
In Last-Minute Decision, WSL Reaffirms Ban on Portuguese Surfer Vasco Ribeiro
After several years without surfing in a jersey, it appeared Vasco Ribeiro was about to get his wish. The powers that be had permitted him to enter a regional Qualifying Series contest at a pumping Moroccan pointbreak. Then, it was gone. It's been a difficult road for the Portuguese surfer Ribeiro. Now age 30, he was once one of the best-up-and-coming surfers from Portugal. He was the WSL World Junior Champion in 2014 and has been a wildcard in the Peniche CT event five times. But his unfortunate saga began when Ribeiro refused to take a drug test in April 2022, which violated the International Surfing Association's anti-doping rules. In 2023, the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport banned him from all events. Ribeiro appealed, but the decision was upheld. The court also disqualified all his results since April 17, 2022 (when the test occurred) which included a runner-up finish at a QS 3,000 in Portugal. The ban excluded him from all ISA and World Surf League events until July of 2026. However, the ISA reportedly gave consent for him to surf in the upcoming Pro Taghazout Bay in Morocco because it had no bearing on Olympic qualification.A week ago, when he found out that he was going to compete in Morocco, he wrote a heartfelt message on Instagram thanking the WSL and noting how he had worked to overcome personal struggles that led to the ban on competitive surfing. 'I'm very grateful to the WSL for this opportunity to get back to doing what I love most, which is competing,' he said. 'I want to take this opportunity to better myself, to prove to myself that I'm capable of continuing at the highest level. 'I went through a period of major difficulty with addiction, which forced me to relearn how to organize my life and live without drugs. It's an ongoing process and a daily commitment, but with the support of my family, friends, and professionals, I've managed to pick myself up and find myself again. He concluded, 'If my journey can inspire or help someone to see that there is always a way back, then all this effort will have been worth it. Now I'm looking forward to putting on the jersey and getting back to the heats.' However, on Friday, the day before the event began Ribeiro (who was in Morocco) received word from the WSL that he was still suspended from competing. The league is reportedly going to cover Ribeiro's travel costs and registration fees. As for the reasoning behind upholding Ribeiro's ban, the WSL released a statement saying, 'Following further correspondence with the International Surfing Association, the WSL has determined that Vasco Ribeiro will not be eligible to compete in the upcoming WSL event in Morocco. The WSL is currently reviewing these developments to determine whether the ISA's current ban will apply to all WSL events.' A tough blow for Ribeiro, who was no doubt looking forward to laying his rail into the rifling righthand pointbreak. You can see how good the first day was here. 'The WSL, as an independent entity from the International Surfing Association, had assured me I was eligible for this event,' Ribeiro said. 'However, in a last-minute decision, without giving me any chance to respond, the WSL reversed its position based on new information and pressure from the ISA.'
