Latest news with #WorldRapidandBlitz
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The incredible story of Sara Khadem
STAAVENGER: On the opening day of Norway Chess, all 12 players posed for photos on the staircase just above the playing hall. The expressions of 11 of the 12 players were variations of bored, them just wanting to get on with it. The one exception? Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, an IM. She was smiling throughout the photoshoot, more than happy to oblige the photographers. Ten minutes in her company and it's easy to see why she was the only smiling face at the Opening Ceremony. "(smiles) I'm generally a happy person," she tells a group of Indian journalists. She's one of the very few at the top-end of elite chess who sees the game as a means to an end but not the end in itself. "Inside, I might be upset but I'm generally happy, I feel like my life isn't dependent on these games. If I win this tournament and you tell me my life is going to change, 'no, no, it wont'." That sort of refreshing perspective comes with the territory because Sara -- as she's known in chess circles -- has already been through a lot. First, her passport was confiscated and she wasn't allowed to leave Iran, her country of berth. She subsequently withdrew from the federation. Then came a Covid-induced lockdown. In late 2022, at the World Rapid and Blitz in Kazakhstan, she competed without the hijab, which prompted a furious backlash in her native country with authorities waiting with an arrest warrant. Six months later, Spain granted her citizenship. Since then, she's been in Marbella but during her time in Iran, the one-time child prodigy did consider giving up the game she loves. "A lot of things have happened in life which have made me go slowly or even backwards," the 28-year-old, who has won loads of individual events in age-group events, says. When she first started playing senior chess, it was considered to be a matter of time for her to become a GM. Yet, that dream hasn't materialised. Events like these, though, have kept her motivated.
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Polygraph finished, passed on all fronts': Hans Niemann claims ‘lie-detector' test failed to prove over-the-board cheating
American Grandmaster Hans Niemann claimed on Wednesday that he has undergone a lie detector 'Polygraph' test, as challenged by Russian GM Daniil Dubov and 'passed it on all fronts' as the test failed to prove any over-the-board (OTB) cheating done by him. Announcing on X, he wrote, 'Polygraph finished, passed on all fronts. Have you ever cheated over the board? No Verdict: True. I think it's time for a rematch with Dubov. I'll be in Moscow again in 2 weeks!' Polygraph finished, passed on all fronts. Have you ever cheated over the board? No Verdict: True. I think it's time for a rematch with Dubov. I'll be in Moscow again in 2 weeks! — Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) May 7, 2025 Niemann also called for a rematch against Dubov and said 'chess always speaks for itself.' In another post, he wrote, 'Mental gymnastics of my detractors: 'You refused the polygraph that proves everything' Then switching to 'polygraphs are pseudoscience this proves nothing'. Some people will always twist everything to fit their perspective. The only constant is that the chess always speaks for itself.' Niemann was supposed to undergo a lie-detecting polygraph test after losing an 18-game blitz match against Dubov. Niemann had challenged Dubov to a showdown in Russia to settle their World Rapid and Blitz dispute, with the condition that the loser had to answer one question with a polygraph test. In March, Niemann faced Dubov and lost the 18-game challenge by a margin of 8.5-9.5, resulting in him facing the polygraph test. This came after Dubov's 'no show' at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship against Niemann, citing that he fell asleep. Following the incident, Niemann extended an open challenge to Dubov. 'Happy to play Dubov in a blitz match under ANY conditions. I will pay for his travel/accommodation and offer a $10,000 reward to a charity of his choice if he wins,' Niemann had posted on X. Dubov accepted the challenge after Niemann's quarterfinal loss to Norway's Magnus Carlsen but with specific conditions. In an Instagram post, Dubov proposed a lie detector test for Niemann. 'I'm ready to play, under the following conditions: You agree to a lie detector test with a trained professional… Test to feature only questions about cheating, with the results to be communicated to the community at large. If the test comes out clean, I will admit my decision was rash and play a 24-game blitz match against you, 8 games a day, $2,000 per point,' Dubov wrote. Later, Magnus Carlsen added fuel to the controversy by suggesting that Dubov's absence may have been deliberate to 'prove a point.' That came amid lingering tensions after Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating in 2022. Although Carlsen later retracted his claims following a $100 million defamation lawsuit from Niemann.
