World Rapid chess: Humpy in joint lead; Gukesh, Erigaisi well-placed as Carlsen suffers rare loss
Doha (PTI): Reigning champion Koneru Humpy displayed her trademark composure and tenacity to remain in joint lead in the women's section while Indian star players D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi also remained in the hunt in the 'Open' category on Day 2 of the FIDE World Rapid Championships here.
With three more rounds to go in the women's section on Sunday, Humpy shared the lead with China's Zhu Jiner on 6.5 points out of a maximum eight. The duo was trailed by as many as 10 players on six points, including India's Dronavalli Harika.
However, it was classical world champion Gukesh's fighting spirit that stood out on Saturday despite the Indian ace claiming before the start that he didn't a have a lot of expectations from the season-ending competition.
Gukesh and Erigaisi were placed comfortably on 6.5 points in a cluster of 13 players after nine rounds with just a point separating the India duo from joint leaders Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann (7.5 poinst each).
Starting with two draws, against Dutch GM Anish Giri and Alexey Sarana, Gukesh prevailed over Spain's David Anton in a topsy-turvy Round 8 game.
In the following round he was decimated by Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the King's Indian attack, the Indian's only defeat so far in the competition.
However, it was 27-year-old Russian GM Artemiev who held centre stage after inflicting a rare defeat on world No.1 and five-time world rapid champion Carlsen, and Erigaisi.
Joint leaders Artemiev and Niemann are chased by four players half a point behind -- Carlsen, Alexey Sarana, Yagiz Erdogmus and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Giant-killer Artemiev was in great form as he opened with a victory as black against Erigaisi, coming back from a lost position and playing much of the game on increment.
In Round 7, Artemiev defeated Carlsen in a game where the world's top-rated player made a grave mistake on move 15, which cost him dearly. This win put Artemiev on 6.5 points, a full point ahead of the field.
Artemiev concluded the day with two calm draws with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexey Sarana.
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"I am pleased with my performance, and everything is feeling good," Artemiev told FIDE.
After a 4.5/5 on day one, Carlsen’s performance dipped on day 2 with the Norwegian playing the Sicilian against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in round 6. The world No.1 soon found himself with tripled pawns on the e-file and spent more time looking for the moves. After testing Carlsen for a few moves, Vachier-Lagrave agreed to split a point.
The big defeat came in round seven when after surrendering on move 30, the Norwegian stormed out of the playing hall, visibly unhappy.
Carlsen bounced back in round 8, with a win against Armenian GM Shant Sargsyan and in the final round of the day he was better on time against US GM Ray Robson.
With two straight victories, Carlsen joined the group of four players on seven points.
Humpy joint leader
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The women's event remained closely contested with two-time world rapid champion from India, Humpy defeating Sara Khadem to emerge the sole leader with six points at the end of the Round 7, followed by eight players half-a-point on behind.
A draw in Round 8 against Russia GM Goryachkina Aleksandra took the Indian stalwart's tally to 6.5, while Zu Jiner defeated India's women's World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh in the last round of the day to join Humpy at the top.
Sunday will be the third and final day of the World Rapid with four more rounds in 'Open' and three in Women's section set to be played.
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Over 300 students from govt schools in Punjab qualify JEE Mains 2026: Education minister
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday said 305 students from government schools qualified in their first attempt of the joint entrance examination (JEE) Mains 2026.
This number reflects an increase of 63 per cent from last year's 187 successful candidates, he said describing the achievement as a defining moment for the state's school education system.
Bains shared that five students from his constituency Sri Anandpur Sahib also cracked the prestigious examination.
He announced that the government will organise a special three-week residential training camp to prepare the qualified students for JEE Advance, ensuring they receive focused guidance for the next stage.
"This feat marks a moment of immense pride for our entire school education department. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our dedicated teachers. The recent JEE Mains Phase 1 results showcased an outstanding performance by the Punjab government schools, with 305 students cracking the competitive engineering exam," Bains said.
This feat represents a remarkable 63 per cent increase from last year's 187 qualifiers, he said.
"Achieving such a significant milestone in just one year is a testament to the transformative power of our Punjab 'Sikhya Kranti' initiative. We are committed to further accelerating our progress," the state education minister said.
He also shared that Bhavishya, a Class 12 non-medical student from the School of Eminence in Amritsar secured an impressive 98.182 percentile.
His father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother works as a tailor.
"Despite financial constraints, his determination to pursue engineering and uplift his family remained unshaken. With strong school support and disciplined preparation, he achieved outstanding success," he said.
He further informed that Dilkhush Jha, a government school student from Bathinda, scored 95.091 percentile in JEE Mains.
With his father being a labourer and mother a homemaker, and an annual family income of Rs 1.2 lakh, he relied on self-study.
Similarly, Priyanka Sharma, a science student from the School of Eminence, Sangrur, secured a 96.44 percentile in JEE Mains while simultaneously preparing for NEET.
Bains said no other state government has matched this scale of achievement in government schools.
He congratulated all 305 students and their parents, and thanked the teachers for making what he described as a historic day for Punjab's government school system.
