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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Egg-donation racket targeting poor women busted in Maharashtra's Thane; 3 held
Thane (PTI): Police have unearthed an egg-donation racket, suspected to be involving crores of rupees, that repeatedly exploited vulnerable women in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said.
The victims were offered Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per cycle and repeatedly used as egg donors, resulting in physical exploitation. They were taken to IVF centres where the eggs were surgically extracted and sold for lakhs, they said, adding that so far, 20 women are believed to have fallen prey to the racket.
Three women have been arrested in connection with the illegal trade operating out of a residential apartment and a sonography centre at Joveli in Badlapur East, the police officials said on Saturday.
Egg donation is a fertility procedure where a woman provides eggs for another person to conceive, usually via IVF (in vitro fertilisation). The donor undergoes screening and hormone treatment, eggs are retrieved, fertilised, and transferred to the recipient.
The arrested persons have been identified as Sulakshana Gadekar (44), Ashwini Chabukswar (29), and Manjusha Wankhede (46).
Following a tip-off from a victim to Thane Sub-District Hospital's Chief Medical Officer Dr Jyotsna Sawant, a raid was recently conducted at Gadekar’s residence in Nano City building, the police said.
“We recovered photos of injections used in connection with pregnancy, sonography reports, affidavits with false names, fake documents, and evidence of financial transactions on the mobile phones of the accused,” a police official said.
The accused targeted needy women, paying them Rs 25,000 to 30,000 per cycle. The victims were allegedly administered hormonal injections to increase egg production and were repeatedly used as donors, leading to physical exploitation, the official said.
“The process involved injecting the women to stimulate egg production and taking them for sonography. Once the eggs were ready, the victims were sent to IVF centres where the eggs were surgically extracted and sold for lakhs of rupees,” the official added.
Ulhasnagar Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore said that more than 20 women might have fallen victim to this racket so far.
“The racket was previously operating in Vangani before shifting to Badlapur recently. We are investigating the involvement of IVF centres, doctors, and hospitals. High-profile names are likely to surface as the turnover of this illegal trade is estimated to be in crores,” Gore said.
A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, the police added.
