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Chess: Nakamura jumps to lead on penultimate day
Kolkata, Nov 10 (IANS) Hikaru Nakamura of the USA recorded three successive wins to jump to the lead with Armenian Levon Aronian on the penultimate day of the Tata Steel Chess India 2018 rapid tournament here Saturday.
The world rapid champion Viswanathan Anand drew his sixth straight game of the tournament to stay undefeated.
Anand is placed mid-table at number four with three points.
With three rounds to go in the final day of the rapid chess event, Nakamura and Aronian lead the table with 4.5 points apiece from a maximum six points.
Indian No.2 Pentala Harikrishna is one point adrift. He drew American Wesley So with the white pieces of the Berlin defence in round six to slip to third place.
Anand looked promising with the Black pieces but Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan had a strong initiative to eke out a draw.
Surya Shekhar Ganguly had a poor outing as he managed to score only 0.5/3 and lost to Aronian in his last game of the day with the white pieces in the Italian opening.
Reigning World Cup champion Aronian looked in trouble to start off with but the Armenian star said it was his strategy to deceive him.
“That’s generally my strategy for the game. I tried to create imbalance position just to press Surya on the clock. He is a very solid player. So I thought to create some disbalance and I think I managed to get him excited,” Aronian, a winner of the 2017 St Louis rapid and blitz title, revealed.
“At the very last moment, he could still make a draw but I think he thought it’s a good moment to have his first win and he lost his way.”
Nakamura, who has a world ranking of second in rapid, began on a high when he got the better of overnight leader Mamedyarov Shakhriyar.
Mamedyarov, playing white, had an equal position against the speed chess superstar’ GM Hikaru Nakamura of USA but blundered with a Knight move on the 33rd move and there was no coming back and he went on to lose.
“He refused to go for a draw and things simply started going my way. Things became smooth (from round five) after I won the game,” Nakamura, who outwitted Ganguly and Nihal Sarin in the fifth and sixth rounds, said.
Playing each other for the first time on Indian soil, Anand and Pentala Harikrishna had an interesting draw that saw no player taking extra risks.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Sarin was the cusp of causing an upset by beating Mamedyarov who managed to hold on with some tricks and the ended in perpetual checks on the 60th move.
“I’m playing quite well here. It’s a very good experience, it’s my first super tournament and a nice exposure. But I’m not under any extra pressure,” Nihal, who is the world number one in U-14 section, said.A
Results (round six)
Surya Shekhar Ganguly (1) lost to Levon Aronian (Arm, 4.5); Vidit Gujarati (2.5) beat Sergey Karjakin (Rus, 3); Pentala Harikrishna (3.5) drew with Wesley So (USA, 3); Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Aze, 3) drew with Viswanathan Anand (3); Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 4.5) beat Nihal Sarin (2).
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.