India File

Anand to play three Ks in rapid chessCHENNAI: Grandmaster V Anand will face the three Ks -- Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir K...

Anand to play three Ks in rapid chess

CHENNAI: Grandmaster V Anand will face the three Ks — Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Kramnik — in the Siemen’s giants rapid chess tournament in Frankfurt from June 28 to July 2.

This is the first time a rapid — 25 minutes duration for each player — has such a heavy line-up. Three games will be played on each day in the four-round event offering a prize fund of half a million DM.

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Anand has played in all editions of the tournament except in 1996 due to his wedding and is an honorary member of the Frankfurt-West Chess Club. He had won this tournament in 1997 and 1998.

Tushar, Megha win

NEW DELHI: Top seed Megha Vakharia of Maharashtra moved into the semi-finals of the girls’ under-16 in the Adidas Junior Masters tennis tournament today. Megha defeated seventh seed Ankita Bhambri 6-2 6-2. C Nandita, Priyanka Parikh and Sanaa Bhambri of TN joined her in the last four.

Soccer tourney

CALCUTTA: Title-aspirant Mohun Bagan willclash with Mohammedan Sporting in the inaugural match of the McDowell Cup football tournament at the Salt Lake Stadium tomorrow.

Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting and Tata Football Academy have been clubbed in Group A while Group B comprises East Bengal, Tollygunge Agragami and Eastern Railway.

B’ball academy

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NEW DELHI: The Centre has cleared a sum of Rs 16 crore to complete work on India’s first national basketball academy coming up at Indore. The academy became operational in 1995, but stopped functioning within a year due to lack of funds. The fresh funds are expected to help the trust complete work on the air-conditioned indoor stadium and dormitory and function to its capacity of 25 boys and as many girls.