Chennai Sports & Sports Infrastructure

[karkal]

This event truly puts Chennai on the world map in sports arena. We need to protect it at any cost.

[karkal]

Mahalakshmi brings down Grandmaster Grover

Chennai : Woman FIDE Master M. Mahalakshmi, a student of Velammal Group of Schools, caused a big upset bringing down Grandmaster Sahaj Grover in an exciting Nimzo-Indian game in the Apollo Engineering College Commonwealth Chess Championship that began here Friday.

After a sedate start, Mahalakshmi went for a king-side assault that had the Delhi-based Grandmaster in trouble.

An exchange sacrifice in the 31st turn could not stem the queen, rook and bishop battery and Grover gave up, faced with a collapsing position after 41 moves.

Incidentally, Mahalakshmi had won the gold medal in the under-14 girls section last week in the World Youth Chess Championships at Maribor, Slovenia.

Meanwhile, top seeded Grandmaster Sergei Tiviakov of the Netherlands was off to a good start winning both his games as he shared the lead at 2.0 points with Grandmasters Oleksienko Mikhailo (Ukraine), Marat Dzhumaev (Uzbekistan), Lintchevski Daniil (Russia), S.P. Sethuraman, M.R. Venkatesh, M.R. Lalith Babu, S. Arun Prasad, R.R. Laxman (all India), International Master Oliver Dimakiling (Philippines) and Woman FIDE Master M. Mahalakshmi among others.

Newly crowned National Premier champion and International Master G. Akash (ELO 2404) suffered a stunning defeat in the hands of 16-year-old Madhurima Shekhar (ELO 1959).

The French game developed into an interesting tussle and Madhurima equalised quickly and the queenless middle-game slowly moved in her favour.

Giving up his rook for bishop on the 31st turn could not solve Akash's difficulties and faced with a mate, he resigned on 40th move.

A big win for the Delhi girl and good show from here, will help her to strike a norm.

Earlier, the first round packed a few surprises as sixth seeded Grandmaster Mark Paragua (ELO 2532) saved himself from an unpleasant position against Indian junior S. Rohit Vassan (ELO 1762).

The Closed Sicilian game saw the Grandmaster pressing for the initiative, even as Rohit hung on with the material thrown upon him.

An exchange sacrifice on the 40th move put the Indian on the front and Rohit found himself four pawns up for an exchange by move 51.

But a series of inaccurate moves saw Rohit conceding a draw holding wrong coloured bishop and a pawn, the queening square of which the Grandmaster had covered.

In another morning round upset, Adarsh Srivastava (ELO 1737) held International Master Shyam Sundar (ELO 2484) to a draw.

Round 2 results: (Indians unless specified): Sergei Tiviakov (Ned) 2 bt Harsha Bharathakoti 1, V Pranavananda 1 lost to Adly Ahmed (Egy) 2, B Adhiban 2 bt Sumit Grover 1,S Harini 1.5 drew with Lintchevski Daniil (Rus) 1.5, Oleksienko Mikhailo (Ukr) 2 bt S R Harikrishna 1, Marat Dzhumaev (Uzb) 2 bt Gajwa Ankit 1, Mulay Pratik 1 lost to M R Lalith Babu 2, S P Sethuraman 2 bt C Sai Vishwesh 1, K Gopalakrishnan 1 lost to M R Venkatesh 2, S Arun Prasad 2 bt Rohan Ahuja 1, R R Laxman 2 bt S Yogit, L N Ram Aravind 1 lost to Oliver Dimakiling (Phi) 2, M Mahalakshmi 2 bt Sahaj Grover 1, G Akash 1 lost to Madhurima Shekhar 2.

Round 1: Daniel Raja N lost to Sergei Tiviakov (Ned), Adly Ahmed (Egy) bt S Jayakumar, Vikash Kumar Dwivedi lost to B Adhiban, Linthevski Daniil (Rus) bt Teh De Juan (Mal), Aparna Raja lost to Oleksienko Mikhailo (Ukr), Mark Paragua (Phi) drew with Rohit Vassan S, Ding Tze How Dilwen (Mal) lost to Marat Dzhumaev (Uzb), M R Lalith Babu bt S S Dave, Rajaryan KUvelkar lost to SP Sethuraman, M R Venkatesh bt A Prathish.

[karkal]

Ashwin's batting - Hear out the commentary

[krishnaswamy]

TFS karkal
Ashwin is the opening batsman. No need to wait for fast bowling allrounder.
Post tendulkar retirement, use him as a top order bat and include a pace bowler.

[karkal]

Strongest field ever for 18th Aircel Chennai Open

The player field for the Aircel Chennai Open 2013 will see an impressive line-up of both Indian and International players. Apart from World No. 6 Tomas Berdych, World No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic, World No. 15 Marin Cilic, World No. 17 Stanislas Wawrinka, additions to the player field include World No 47 Benoit Paire, World No 56 Robin Haase, and World No 60 Yen-Hsun Lu among others.

Boasting prize money of USD $430,000, India’s and South Asia’s only ATP World Tour tennis event will be held at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai from 31st December 2012 to 6th January 2013.

Spear-heading the singles draw, will be 27-year-old Tomas Berdych. This is his second visit to Chennai. World No. 6 kicked off 2012 with a bang after winning the Hopman Cup for the Czech Republic with compatriot Petra Kvitová and then captured the title atMontpellier. The Czech continued his top form as he reached his career best at the US Open Championships 2012, where he stalled the progress of World No. 1 Roger Federer, defeating him 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to enter the quarter-finals.

Berdych further displayed his prowess in the game by seizing his second ATP title of 2012 by defeating top-seeded Jo-Wilfred Tsonga of France 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Stockholm Open final; progressing to play at the BarclaysATP World Tour Finals. This was his third consecutive appearance at the season finale. Czech Republic’s No. 1 player also led the Czech team to victory against Spain at the Davis Cup Final held this past weekend.

Janko Tipsarevic, who will be playing at the Aircel Chennai Open for the fifth time, opened the 2012 season at Chennai winning the doubles title with Leander Paes. The 28-year-old Serbian made the fourth round of the Australian Open and reached a career-high ranking of number 9 in May, before bagging his third title of the season. He had a perfect close to the season by qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Winner of the Aircel Chennai Open Singles title in 2009 and 2010, Marin Cilic is ranked No. 15 in the world. Cilic gained momentum by reaching the Munich final in April this year. In July, he captured his eighth ATP World Tour title at the ATP Vegeta Croatia Open Umag.

Stanislas Wawrinka, who will also be a part of this season’s draw in Chennai for the fifth consecutive year, is eyeing a winning start similar to 2011. After a good run at the Aircel Chennai Open 2012, Wawrinka confirms his return for another shot at the title. Wawrinka's greatest achievement till date has been the gold medal victory for Switzerland in the men's doubles event in Beijing Olympics, partnering multiple Grand Slam winning compatriot Roger Federer.

Fernando Soler, former Tournament Director and Head of Tennis, IMG Worldwide, said in a statement: “We look forward to delivering a very exciting week of thrilling tennis at the Aircel Chennai Open 2013. Having a strong player field with four from the world top 20, tennis fans in Chennai can certainly expect some great competition and solid tennis.”

Renuka Jaypal, National Brand Head, Aircel said, “With Aircel Chennai Open 2013, we are once again proud to bring the largest and oldest annual sporting extravaganza to the country. With young players such as Somdev Devvarman, reaching the international arena, the sport in India has gained immense popularity amongst the youth and with Aircel Chennai Open 2013, where some of the country’s best players would be playing against the top ranking international players, we hope to give our young audience a highly competitive and an action packed event.”

M.A. Alagappan, President of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association said, “Aircel Chennai Open, now in its 18th edition isundoubtedly South Asia’s premiersportsevent. We would like to place on record our appreciation of the excellent support of the Government of Tamil Nadu and all our sponsors. The tournament has been growing in popularity every year and this year’s confirmation from four of the top 20 players - Tomas Berdych, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic and Stanislas Wawrinka is a testimony to it. Presence of such prominent players will provide tennis enthusiasts some world class action right here in Chennai.”

Ashu Jindal, Chief Operating Officer, IMG Reliance said, “Aircel Chennai Open 2013 has one of the most competitive line-ups the tournament has witnessed. The promising fieldwith top-10 players like Berdych and Tipsarevic, the two time singles champion Cilic, and one of Chennai’s favourite champions Stanislas Wawrinka, illustrates the tournament’s position as the premier tennis event in this part of the world. We are extremely thankful to the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association for their relentless support and all our sponsors, who have helped to make this event a sporting extravaganza.”

[karkal]

Bols partners with Aircel Chennai Open 2013

BOLS Kyndal, the premium brandy brand has partnered with Aircel Chennai Open 2013 as an "Official Partner". This will be the second year of Bols associating with the Aircel Chennai Open.

The 18th edition of India's only and South Asia's leading ATP World Tour event will be held from 31st December 2012 to 6th January, 2013 at the SDAT Stadium in Chennai.

The tournament will see in action an impressive line-up of Indian and International players including Tomas Berdych, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic and Stanislas Wawrinka, who are among the top 20 players in the world.

As part of the association, BOLS will host the official Player Party of the tournament, which attracts the creme de la creme of Chennai party circuit after the tournament.

[sivagopi]

Former Asian junior champion P. Karthikeyan downs Indian Grandmaster S.P. Sethuraman in Commonwealth Chess Championships.

For the original post visit: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/17395413.cms

[karkal]

VOLVO associates with Aircel Chennai Open

Volvo Auto India is the official car partner for Aircel Chennai Open 2013 in India. Matches held from 31st December 2012 to 6th January 2013 will be played with the Volvo S60 holding prime position as a luxury sedan.

The 2013 tournament marks the 5th consecutive year that Volvo India has been associated with India's only ATP World Tour Event.

So apart from the two battling stars at the court, all eyes will be at the Super Sporty Volvo S60 which will be in the backdrop for all the matches.

"It's a pleasure to associate our brand with India's only and South Asia's premier ATP World Tour — Aircel Chennai Open 2013 for the 5th straight year.

Volvo has been closely associated with tennis through ATP Volvo International for many years and this partnership with the 18th edition of Aircel Chennai Open will further strengthen Volvo's association with the sport," Tomas Ernberg, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India said.

Commenting about the partnership, Ashu Jindal, COO, IMG Reliance said, "We are delighted to have Volvo Auto India associate their premium luxury sports car, the Volvo S60 as the official car for Aircel Chennai Open 2013.

Volvo has a rich history of being associated with sports across the globe. The brand's commitment to the tournament has been incredible and we definitely look forward to their continuous support in the future."

The 18th edition of Aircel Chennai Open will feature an impressive line-up of tennis players including the Top 20 players — Tomas Berdych, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic and crowd's favourite Stanislas Wawrinka. Both Indian and International participants will compete for the title.

[தமிழன்]

Chennai Open Tickets Opens Dec1

http://www.aircelchennaiopen.org/2013/tickets

[karkal]

Pallikal is first Indian to break into top 10

New Delhi: Squash ace Dipika Pallikal on Saturday became the first Indian to break into the top 10 of the world rankings.

Pallikal jumped three places to be ranked 10th by Women`s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) with 5175.75 points.

She was also the first Indian women to break into the top 20 in the WSA rankings. Three WISPA tour titles in 2011 saw her attain a career best ranking of 13.

A year ago, the 21-year-old from Chennai was ranked 17.

Her next target is to better her rankings break into the top-five.

Pallikal is coached by six-time world champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald of Australia.

India`s Joshana Chinappa also jumped a place to 31 in the year-end rankings.

Dipika has won the German Open, Dutch Open, French Open, Australian Open, Scottish Open on the European Junior Squash Circuit.

She clinched her first of three 2011 WISPA titles in September by winning the Orange County Open in Irvine, California. She notched up her second in the United States with another WISPA tour event victory. The third came in Hong Kong in the Crocodile Challenge Cup in December.

However, it was her performance in the World Open that shot her into the limelight. She finished in the top eight there.

Earlier this year, she was conferred with the Arjuna Award.

[karkal]

Ricoh, Aircel Chennai Open to strengthen their partnership

The organisers of the Aircel Chennai Open have announced that the tournament had extended its association with Ricoh as an Official Sponsor. The company is a trusted technology leader specialising in the office and production printing markets.

The 18th edition of India’s only and South Asia’s leading ATP World Tour event will be held from 31 December to 6 January and will see an exciting line-up of Indian and International players including four top 20 players in action.

Ricoh is associated with leading global tennis events that include the coveted Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and their continued association with India’s and South Asia’s only ATP World Tour tennis event is testimony to the significance and stature of the tournament.

In its capacity as an official sponsor, Ricoh will continue to offer critical state-of-the-art printing and copying services and aid in the smooth conduct of Aircel Chennai Open 2013.

Ricoh Asia Pacific MD Nobuaki Majima stated, “Aircel Chennai Open is among the most popular tournaments of its kind in this part of the continent. Each year, the event has grown in significance and popularity and has gone on to achieve greater heights. The partnership has been mutually beneficial and very rewarding. It’s an honour to play a part in facilitating such a significant event by offering carbon-friendly document management solutions to ATP. Being associated with a tournament of such high stature complements our effort to extensively promote high quality yet environmental-friendly business solutions to every business. We look forward to strengthening this association in the seasons to come.”

IMG Reliance COO Ashu Jindal said, said, “Aircel Chennai Open has been privileged to garner support from leading global brands like Ricoh. Chennai has become the definitive ATP World Tour destination in South Asia and as we grow from strength to strength each year, we acknowledge and express our gratitude to partners such as Ricoh for their long standing support to us and to the sport.”

[murlee]

Kotturpuram ground to make way for standard football field

[cofee]

Originally Posted by murlee

Kotturpuram ground to make way for standard football field

Much appreciated.

Amma has this mysterious passion for sports.

I feel TN sports (non cricket) is in good hands when Amma is in power.

[sridhar_n]

welcome initiative. Hope they maintain it well and don't use for political meetings.

[karkal]

Anand - Indian of the Year

[தமிழன்]

Yuki gets wild card for Chennai Open 2013

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/yuki...13-556907.html

[kannan infratech]

The tickets for Chennai Open are costly. Phew.....

[arun82]

Originally Posted by karkal

Pallikal is first Indian to break into top 10

Looks too Good for TV ads...when we can see her in noodles, health drink or FMCG ads...

[iaafosc]

Originally Posted by arun82

Looks too Good for TV ads...when we can see her in noodles, health drink or FMCG ads...

Dude that's one thing she should be guarded against.......far too many people have fallen for this trap and in the process have lost their careers...methinks she should should first focus on achieving rank #1...only then should she join the tamasha

[sridhar_n]

agree. Good that even Saina has not fallen prey to the media attention which Sania did and lost out on her career.