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Charles Leclerc ties knot with Alexandra Saint-Mleux in Monaco

With the F1 season-opener in Australia less than a week away (March 8), Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc surprised his fans, announcing a major development in his personal life. The Monegasque racer took to Instagram on Monday to announce his wedding with partner Alexandra Saint-Mleux, which took place on February 28. Leclerc, 28, posted a series of photographs and videos, giving his 22.5 million followers a glimpse of the private ceremony.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Charles Leclerc (@charles_leclerc) In the video, Charles is seen wearing a stunning white suit while Alexandra shimmers in a silvery-white gown. “A day we’ll forever remember,” Leclerc captioned the post. He also indicated that the couple are planning another ceremony next year. “Part one is done, and part two will be next year with all of our close ones,” he wrote. The couple are also seen driving off in a vintage Testa Rossa Ferrari after exchanging vows. Charles and Alexandra, who have been dating for over two years, had announced their engagement in November last year. Alexandra is a model, social media influencer and art curator.

04 March,2026 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Jutta’s racing suit; (right) Jutta Leerdam. Pics/Jutta’s Instagram

Winter Olympic star Leerdam’s racing suit auctioned for Rs 2.94 crore

Jutta Leerdam, the Dutch speed skater and fiance of YouTuber Jake Paul, has had her racing suit, which she wore en-route to winning two gold medals at the recent Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, auctioned off for a whopping USD 275,345 (approximately Rs 2.94 crore). Her racing suit, along with 85 other items, was sold by the Dutch Olympic Committee, with proceeds going to several local sports clubs.

04 March,2026 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Lakshya Sen during his match against Shi Yu Qi on Tuesday. Pic/Getty Images

Lakshya Sen shocks defending champion Shi in Rd-of-32

India's Lakshya Sen gave a fine display of his mental strength and physical prowess, defeating China's Shi Yu Qi in a gripping three-game contest that swung on razor thin margins and relentless pace here on Tuesday. Lakshya prevailed 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in the contest that was as physical as it was tactical, marking his first victory over the former world No. 1 in a BWF world tour event. Lakshya had defeated the Chinese in the Asian Games team championships in 2023. "Lakshya was very calm and composed today. Right from the start, he made Shi work hard for every single point, and eventually the Chinese player began to tire," Vimal told PTI. "At one stage in the second game, I felt Lakshya was getting a bit fatigued, but he recovered well and raised his level. His attacking play was excellent too. "Overall, it was a very confidence boosting win," he added. Lakshya looked sharp from the outset, opening up an 11-7 lead at the mid game interval in the first game with sharp angled smashes and quick interceptions at the net. He stretched it to 17-12, repeatedly breaking down Shi's defence with steep cross-court winners and tight net exchanges. However, the contest turned dramatic when Lakshya squandered leads of 18-12 and 19-16. Shi suddenly came alive, reeling off three straight points to draw level at 20-20. The Chinese saved three game points in a tense finish and forced 21-all after another burst of attacking play. Lakshya earned a fourth opportunity but let it slip before Shi's backhand found the net to hand the Indian a fifth game point. This time Lakshya sealed it with a decisive cross court smash to pocket the opener. After the change of ends in the second game, Shi made a positive start. Lakshya punished a short lift and unleashed a thunderous down the line smash to edge 6-5 ahead, but a miscued toss handed the Chinese the initiative at 9-8. Shi entered the break with a three point cushion. The rallies grew longer and more punishing as both players engaged in a fierce physical battle. It became difficult to single out one dominant aspect as the match boiled down to who was fractionally better in key moments. Lakshya trailed 13-19 at one stage but mounted a spirited comeback with a flurry of points to narrow it to 18-19. Shi, though, produced a brilliant body smash to earn a game point and closed out the second game 21-19 to force a decider. Lakshya's game was defined not just by raw power but by disciplined defence and sharp net play. His physical intensity forced Shi to aim closer to the lines, often pushing the Chinese into riskier strokes as the Indian retrieved shuttle after shuttle at breakneck speed. In the decider, the two were locked at 6-6 before Shi edged ahead briefly. Lakshya erased the deficit and carried a narrow two-point lead into the final interval at 11-9. From there, the Indian raised his level further. He punished a net error to move 13-11 ahead, putting away a weak return and then unleashed a cross court winner to surge to 16-11. Another down the line smash made it 18-14. Shi challenged a call when he was judged to have hit long, with video referral confirming the shuttle had clipped the line, keeping the Chinese in the contest. Lakshya responded with another stunning winner to go 19-16 up. Although he miscued once, he soon earned four match points. After squandering one, Lakshya sealed the contest when Shi hit long. In other results, Malvika Bansod suffered an 11-21, 6-21 loss to China's Chen Yu Fei. The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto registered a 21-17, 21-19 win over Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin of Malaysia. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

04 March,2026 09:02 AM IST | Birmingham | PTI
Daniil Medvedev. Pic/AFP

Tennis stars in Dubai among athletes facing travel issues as Middle East war

Former U.S. Open tennis champion Daniil Medvedev has indicated he's one of what the ATP Tour calls "a small number of players and team members" it is trying to help leave Dubai as the war in the Middle East causes a widespread travel shutdown. Medvedev's Instagram account reposted on Monday a report from a Russian-language tennis outlet, Bolshe, which said he was safe and staying at a friend's apartment in Dubai, amid flight cancellations after winning the ATP event there last week. "The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event," the ATP Tour said in a statement Monday. "They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament's official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported." Medvedev and others are due to play at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, where main-draw matches start Wednesday. "We are in direct communication with those affected, as well as with tournament organizers and security advisors," the ATP said. "At this stage, travel assessments remain subject to ongoing assessment in line with airline operations and official guidance. We will continue to provide appropriate support to ensure players and their teams can depart safely when conditions allow." As well as tennis players, cricketers from England and Pakistan's men's developmental cricket teams were in the United Arab Emirates at the weekend ahead of a game which was cancelled on Sunday. Youth basketball players also faced travel issues when a Euro-League tournament there was canceled at the weekend. Numerous sports events in the region have shut down, with Asian Champions League soccer games and the Qatari league on hold. The governing body which oversees Formula 1 said Monday it will focus on "safety and wellbeing" as it considers upcoming races in the region. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

03 March,2026 08:32 AM IST | London | AP | PTI
D Gukesh. Pic/AFP

Gukesh blunders to hand Abdusattorov another victory

The fortunes of World Champion D Gukesh did not change for the fifth day running as the Indian blundered from a position of strength to lose to nemesis Nodirbek Abdusattorov at Prague International Chess Festival here. Just a month back Gukesh had lost to Abdusattorov through a blunder from a decent position during the Tata Steel Masters but the fifth round here was even more heartbreaking as the Indian did everything right for the major part of the middle game and seemed like cruising through to an easy victory. Employing a new strategy as black, Gukesh tormented the white's king early in the opening and created enough weaknesses for the computer to volunteer that he was closing in on his first victory in Masters section of the tournament. However, the ticking of the clock had its final say as the Indian faltered in the closing stages of the first time-control. Abdusattorov almost returned the favour but this was simply not Gukesh's day as another blunder saw white advancing his pawn to glory. If Nodirbek was lucky, there seems no stopping the Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest who climbed to number in 11 in world ranking in live ratings following his fourth victory in five games. On the receiving end was Hans Moke Niemann of United States who made a single error that cast the dye decisively in Foreest favour. The day produced all decisive games in the 10-player round-robin tournament and defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram succumbed to his third defeat in five games, giving David Anton Guijarro of Spain something to rejoice before the lone rest day. Local star David Navara continued with his excellent run and grinded Uzbek Nodirbek Yakubboev what was certainly the game of the day while in the other duel Iranian Parham Maghsoodloo scored over Vincent Keymer of Germany. With Foreest on four points, Abdusattorov and Navara are close on his heels a half point behind. Guijarro is the lone occupant on the fourth spot on 3 points, half a point clear of Maghsoodloo while Vincent Keymer is joint sixth on two points alongside Yakubboev. Gukesh, Aravindh and Niemann occupy the last three spots on just 1.5 points. In the challengers' section World Women's cup winner Divya Deshmukh scored her first victory in the tournament at the expense of fellow Indian Surya Shekhar Ganguly. To move to a fifty percent score. Finek Vanclav of Czech Republic continues to lead the tables here with four points. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

03 March,2026 08:25 AM IST | Prague | PTI
PV Sindhu. Pic/AFP

Stranded in Dubai, PV Sindhu set to miss All England Championships

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu is set to miss the All England Championships starting here on Tuesday after being stranded in Dubai amid the US bombing of Iran and the resultant air space closure in the Gulf region. Travel disruptions have marred the build-up to the Super 1000 event, with Sindhu stuck in Dubai since Saturday after flights were suspended following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent retaliation by Tehran. Sindhu and her team, including Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, had a narrow escape after an explosion near their place of stay. They were subsequently moved to a secure location as tensions flared across the Gulf. The Indian ace was scheduled to face Thailand's Supanida Katethong in the opening round but with Dubai airspace and airport continuing to be closed, she will be forced to pull out of the tournament. Former India coach Vimal Kumar told PTI that Sindhu, who even contemplated travelling to Oman by road, has resigned herself to her fate. "I have spoken to Sindhu this evening and she was really disappointed. She has resigned herself to her fate that she won't be able to make it," Vimal said. "I told her (that) there are good things waiting to happen and she should focus on winning a Super 1000 in the year, or another world championships medal at home." "It is tough for an athlete because she was really looking good and her entire team was excited about All England. She also thought about travelling via road to Oman but it would have been too risky, so she dropped the plans," Vimal added. Badminton Word Federation (BWF) said it is also keeping a close watch, maintaining "real-time oversight of the situation and stand ready to assist delegations experiencing delays or route changes." "This includes reviewing and preparing potential contingencies within the competition schedule should any players experience delayed arrival," the sport's global governing body said. While Sindhu's participation remains uncertain, some of her fellow shuttlers have managed to reach Birmingham via alternate routes of Singapore and Africa. However, it remains to be seen how the long and taxing travel would impact their preparations. India's top men's singles contender Lakshya Sen and rising youngster Ayush Shetty, have reached without any travel issues. While Lakshya has drawn world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China, Ayush is up against Indonesia's Alwi Farhan in the opening round. For Lakshya, a former semifinalist and runner-up here, it will be another tough test against Shi, against whom he has lost four of his five previous meetings against the Chinese. Vimal said Lakshya experienced tightness in his glues during the Badminton Asian Team Championships earlier this month but he is now fully fit. "I think it would be a 50-50 match because Shi Yu Qi is a complete player, who has good deception and attack and Lakshya has to really make him work and retrieve well. He had beaten him at Asian Games (even) when he was suffering from a bout of fever," Vimal said. "He had some tightness in the glutes during BATC so he couldn't play and then he had fever. It took him 4-5 days to recover. But he is in good shape now and it should be a good match," he added. Ayush, the US Open Super 300 champion, will look to turn the tide against Farhan, having lost three of their five encounters, including the most recent one at the Indonesia Masters in January. In women's singles, Malvika Bansod faces a stiff opening challenge against Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yufei of China. Unnati Hooda, whose flight was cancelled on Sunday forcing her to travel via Africa, will need to overcome jet lag when she takes on Thailand's eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong in her opener. In men's doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, a former world No. 1, will spearhead India's challenge against Malaysia's Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai in the first round. The women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who registered back-to-back semifinal finishes at the event in 2022 and 2023, will face Japan's Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto. In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are up against Malaysia's Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will meet fifth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France. Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to have won the All England title. Besides them, only Saina Nehwal (2015 runner-up) and Lakshya (2022 runner-up) have come close in recent years. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

03 March,2026 08:20 AM IST | Birmingham | PTI
Tyler Reddick, driver of the Chumba Casino Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning his third race in a row to start the 2026 NASCAR season winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas on March 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Pic/AFP

Tyler Reddick makes NASCAR history at COTA with 3rd straight win to start the se

Tyler Reddick became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of the season with a victory at the Circuit of Americas. Driving a Toyota co-owned by Michael Jordan, Reddick won the season-opening Daytona 500 and a week later at Atlanta, then won from the pole in the first road course race of the year on Sunday. Reddick held off hard-charging Shane van Gisbergen, the Trackhouse driver and the series' dominate road driver, over the final 20 laps. Jordan, the basketball Hall of Famer, was with Reddick's 23XI pit crew exchanging high fives as Reddick crossed the finish line. Van Gisbergen, who won five of six road course races in 2025, lost his bid for a record-tying sixth consecutive road win. The only road course race he didn't win last season was in Austin. Reddick was just too good all weekend in pursuit of history. His 11th career victory was also his second at COTA, a track built for Formula 1, and the first time he's had multiple victories a track. He won at COTA in 2023. It wasn't easy. Reddick had van Gisbergen on his bumper for several laps in the final stage, but was able to keep him behind. Van Gisbergen began to fall farther and father behind over the final six laps. Rough day for rookie Zilisch Trackhouse Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch came into the weekend with the expectation that he might be the one to end van Gisbergen's dominance on road courses. But Zilisch's weekend began with a surprisingly poor qualifying position of 25th and got worse Sunday when he got spun on the restart for stage two. Zilisch fought back into contention for the win in the final stage, but his race effectively ended when he was spun again in a restart out of a caution with 16 laps to go. He finished 14th. Bowman had to bail out Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman had to get out of his car with about 20 laps to go after complaining about being sick.He was replaced by Myatt Snider who had been working as a pit spotter for the Fox broadcast. Snider had to scramble to put on his race suit and get in the car.  Keselowski finishes race while still recovering from broken leg Brad Keselowski had a reserve driver Joey Hand on hand to take over in case his recently broken leg hurt too much. He didn't need him and was able to finish the race in 20th place. The RFK Racing driver has been able to race in all three events this season despite breaking his right leg in December. The road course in Austin was a particular concern but of the physical strain through the left and right turns. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

03 March,2026 08:15 AM IST | Austin (Texas) | AP | PTI
Marco Bezzecchi

Marco Bezzecchi wins season-opening Thailand GP

Marco Bezzecchi won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position on Sunday as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia's Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM's Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse's Raul Fernandez third. Ducati's Marquez is chasing a record-equalling eighth world title this season but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide and the jolt to his bike dislodged the rear tyre and badly damaged his wheel. Bezzecchi returned to winning form after crashing out of Saturday's sprint race on the second lap.  "Yesterday was a small mistake with a big consequence so it was important today to try to bounce back," said the Italian. "My pace was good with the medium, we worked it super-well all weekend, so I knew that I could be fast if I was in front. "I tried my all to make a good start and the bike was perfect," he added. Bezzecchi was fastest in all three practice sessions in Thailand and set a new track record in qualifying. It was also his third straight grand prix win stretching back to last season. "It's just the first race so we must stay calm, we must stay focused, keep our head down and try to work always in the best way possible," said Bezzecchi. "Because we know that we will struggle at some point." Marquez misery Marquez dominated last year's championship but he said earlier this week that he was still feeling the lingering effects of a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the final four races of the season. The 33-year-old was picked off by a succession of riders as the race got underway but recovered to put himself back into podium contention. He was priming himself for an attack on Acosta and Fernandez when he ran wide and did well not to be thrown from his bike, even though it did spell the end of his race. The 33-year-old got off his bike and slapped his hands together in frustration before trudging off the track. His departure left Acosta to reel in Fernandez to secure second place and wrap up a successful weekend for the 21-year-old Spaniard. Acosta won the sprint after Marquez was forced to let him pass on the final lap because of a penalty.  "We have to be happy that things are working super-good," said Acosta, who leads the championship standings ahead of Bezzecchi after the first round. "Thanks to everyone who supported me, because last year the start was not the dreaming one." Fernandez looked like he had second place locked up until a late problem with his bike allowed Acosta to go past him. "It was quite difficult, especially the last five, six laps," said Fernandez. "I tried to make my maximum but I had destroyed the rear tyre." Jorge Martin, the 2024 world champion, finished fourth after seeing the defence of his title wrecked by injury last season. Trackhouse's Ai Ogura was fifth, followed by VR46's Fabio Di Giannantonio and KTM's Brad Binder. Alex Marquez, last season's championship runner-up, did not finish the race after a late crash. Francesco Bagnaia, the 2022 and 2023 world champion, finished ninth after starting from 13th on the grid. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

02 March,2026 10:13 AM IST | Buriram (Thailand) | AFP
D Gukesh. Pic/PTI

Prague International Chess Festival: Gukesh held by Czech's David Navara

World champion D Gukesh's hunt for his first victory continued as he was held to a draw by David Navara of Czech Republic in the fourth round of the Prague International Chess Festival here. On a day when Jorden van Foreest of Holland nosed ahead of the field with his third victory in four games, defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram went down fighting against Vincent Keymer of Germany. Van Foreest defeated Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan while the other two games in the 10-player round-robin tournament ended in draws. American Hans Moke Niemann drew with Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran and David Anton Guijarro got the same result against Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan. With five rounds still to come and the event knocking on the doors of crossing the half-way barrier, van Foreest, on three points, is now followed by Abdusattorov and Navara, who in turn are a half point ahead of Yakubboev, Keymer and Guijarro. The remaining four participants -- Chithambaram, Gukesh, Niemann and Maghsoodloo -- are all tied on the seventh spot on 1.5 points apiece. Navara may be past his prime but, having played chess at a high level in the past, has helped him a great deal here. The Czech number one had to defend a difficult position against Gukesh out of a Ruy Lopez Berlin but he denied the world champion any decisive advantage. The end result was a level rook and pawns endgame wherein Gukesh had to split the point when bare kings remained on board after 72 moves. Chithamabaram's choice of sticking to the Philidor defense came as a surprise to Keymer who seized the initiative early with a king side attack. The Indian lost a pawn in the tactical melee and then lost a Bishop without much counter play in this nearly one-sided encounter. Van Foreest has been in great form recently and followed up with his victory over Gukesh by scalping for Yakubboev. The Dutchman was tenacious in a difficult middle game and hung in with his black pieces as white tried to penetrate with his heavy pieces and in the end was rewarded as Yakubboev blew his position away. Meanwhile, in the challengers section being organised simultaneously, world women's cup winner Divya Deshmukh drew with sole leader Vanclav Finek of Czech Republic while the other Indian Surya Shekhar Gnaguly signed peace with Stepn Herbek of the host country. Divya is on 1.5 points in the event and Ganguly has one point from his four outings in the tournament that is being led by Finek on 3 points. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

02 March,2026 09:52 AM IST | Prague | PTI
PV Sindhu (Pic: File Pic)

Sindhu describes Dubai's airport explosion as "extremely tense and scary moment"

India's ace badminton player PV Sindhu described the explosion near Dubai Airport as "tense and scary". She stated that her coach had to quickly escape from the place as he was closest to the smoke and debris. Sindhu is set to make her appearance at the All England Open Badminton Championships, which will kick off from March 3. Since Saturday, the star badminton player, along with her coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama have been stranded at Dubai airport. She shared a post on her official social media handle, which read, "A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an extremely tense and scary moment for all of us". The post further stated that the badminton star and her team have been moved to a safe place, thanks to the authorities at the airport. "We are all safe now and have been moved to a more secure place, thanks to the tireless efforts of the staff at Dubai Airport and the Dubai authorities. For now, we are trying to get some rest and hold on to hope as we wait for things to settle," she wrote in the post. The ordeal continues to unfold, and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour.A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an… https://t.co/ZdNtuALk0P — Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) March 1, 2026 Sindhu is one of India's most celebrated badminton players, having won an Olympic silver medal at the Rio 2016 and a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020. She also clinched several World Championship medals. The US and Israel launched a major offensive on Iran on Saturday, with American President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to overthrow the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. The military strikes have led to the closure of airspace in the Gulf region and caused disruption to several flights, including Emirates and Air India. The Dubai Airport has suspended all operations indefinitely due to airspace closures following missile strikes involving the US, Israel and Iran. (With PTI Inputs)

01 March,2026 05:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
D Gukesh

Gukesh suffers shock defeat to van Foreest

World Champion D Gukesh suffered a shock defeat to Jorden van Foreest of Holland, while Aravindh Chithambaram played out a draw with Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran in the third round of the Masters section of Prague International chess festival here. Still looking for his first victory in the tournament, Gukesh never really found his footing against van Foreest, who, playing white, employed the Ruy Lopez and seized the initiative early with the bishop pair in the Tartakower variation. The Indian soon came under heavy pressure and had to part with a pawn. The technicalities remained but Foreest could possibly do no-wrong in this round. The trade of Queens led to a pawn-less rook and minor piece endgame for Gukesh wherein the Dutchman cleaned up the king side and his pawns did the remaining. The game lasted 48 moves. Foreest regained the joint lead and is the only player in the event with all three decisive games. With two points in his kitty, Foreest shares the lead with Uzbek duo of Nodirbek Yakubboev and Nodirbek Abdusattorov along with local favourite David Navara. With six rounds still remaining in the 10-players 9-rounds tournament, Gukesh shares the seventh spot with top seed Vincent Keymer of Germany, Hans Moke Niemann of United States and Maghsoodloo with all having one point from their three games. The other Indian in the fray, Aravindh played out a draw with Maghsoodloo to take his tally to 1.5 points along with David Anton Guijarro of Spain. Aravindh could not really get going with his white pieces against Maghsoodloo after going for a strange variation against the Caro Kann defense. The queens were off the board as early as the fifth move, after which Maghsoodloo only had to trade pieces at regular intervals. The game ended in a draw in just 30 moves by repetition. In the challengers' section, it was a double blow for Indians as both Divya Deshmukh and Surya Shekhar Ganguly went down fighting. The women's World cup winner Divya lost with her black pieces against Jiner Zhu of China, while Ganguly found a tough customer in Czech republic's Jachym Nemec. Ganguly has a half point after the first three rounds, while Divya has one. Finek Vaclav of Czech Republic leads this section with 2.5 points. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

01 March,2026 09:39 AM IST | Prague | PTI
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