Gukesh outwits Carlsen; leads Super United rapid and blitz
Zagreb (Croatia) (PTI): World champion D Gukesh let his moves do the talking as he scored another impressive win over world number one Magnus Carlsen to grab the sole lead after six rounds of the Super United Rapid and blitz chess tournament here.
Counting the opening day victories, the win against Carlsen late on Thursday was Gukesh's fifth consecutive triumph in the tournament and took him to 10 points out of a possible 12.
With just three rounds to come in rapid section, Gukesh enjoys two points lead over nearest rival Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland. Wesley So of United States is in sole third spot on seven points, a full point clear of Carlsen, Anish Giri of Holland and local hero Ivan Saric.
R Praggnanandhaa shares the seventh spot on five points with American Fabiano Caruana, while Alireza Firouzja of France is in ninth spot on four points. Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan is 10th on just three points.
Carlsen has never minced his words and has been a critic of Gukesh in the faster version of the game.
The World number one had infamously banged the table after his previous loss to Gukesh in the Norway chess tournament. That was the Indian's first victory over the world number one in Classical chess.
The victory as black was sweet for Gukesh.
Carlsen enjoyed some optical advantage after his king pawn opening but the day belonged to Gukesh who found the perfect counter play.
At some point Carlsen had to part with two minor pieces for a rook and a couple of extra pawns that looked menacing.
However, Gukesh calmly exploited Carlsen's bad plan with the clock ticking away and the famous victory was scored after 49 moves.
Earlier in the day, Gukesh had beaten Abdusattorov and Caruana with some fine efforts.
Praggnanandhaa's search for an elusive victory continued as he played out three draws with Caruana, Carlsen and Giri. Praggnanandhaa will need some victories on the final day to make a comeback in the tournament.
Standings after round 6:
1. D Gukesh (Ind, 10); 2. Duda Jan-Krzysztof (Pol, 8); 3. Wesley So (Usa, 7); 4-6: Ivan Saric (Cro); Magnus Carlsen (Nor); Anish Giri (Ned) 6 each; 7-8; Fabiano Caruana (Usa); R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) 2 each. 9. Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 4); 10. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 3).
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
