Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the eighth round of the FIDE Candidates 2026 tournament happening in Cyprus on Tuesday.
R Praggnanandhaa (Black) vs Anish Giri (White) – Live board
Divya Deshmukh (Black) vs Anna Muzychuk (White) – Live board
R Vaishali (Black) vs Bibisara Assaubayeva (White) – Live board
April 07, 2026 17:44
Pragg vs Anish Giri
Anish Giri will play with the white pieces, while Praggnanandhaa will play with Black tonight in Round 8.
April 07, 2026 17:44
Here’s what happened when Pragg played Anish in Round 1
GM Praggnanandhaa defeated Anish Giri in his tournament opener, and the latter’s error on move 36 and Praggnanandhaa’s move on move 30 (Nf6) forced Anish to resign on move 51.
April 07, 2026 17:40
Tonight’s Round 8 pairings of the women’s section
Anna Muzychuk — Divya Deshmukh Bibisara Assaubayeva — Vaishali Rameshbabu Kateryna Lagno — Aleksandra Goryachkina Tan Zhongyi — Zhu Jiner
April 07, 2026 17:40
Round 8 (Tonight) pairings of Open Section
Andrey Esipenko — Javokhir Sindarov Wei Yi — Matthias Bluebaum Anish Giri — Praggnanandhaa R Hikaru Nakamura — Fabiano Caruana
April 07, 2026 17:39
Sindarov leads the pack at half-way mark
Javokhir Sindarov is currently the runaway leader with a score of 6/7 at the halfway point, holding a significant 1.5-point lead over his closest rival, Fabiano Caruana.
April 07, 2026 17:37
Important week of Chess
Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s coverage of Round 8 of the FIDE Candidates 2026.
FIDE Candidates 2026: Catch all the Highlights from Round 8 of the Candidates tournament happening in Cyprus on Tuesday.
Updated : Apr 07, 2026 17:44 IST
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Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the eighth round of the FIDE Candidates 2026 tournament happening in Cyprus on Tuesday.
R Praggnanandhaa (Black) vs Anish Giri (White) – Live board
Divya Deshmukh (Black) vs Anna Muzychuk (White) – Live board
R Vaishali (Black) vs Bibisara Assaubayeva (White) – Live board
April 07, 2026 17:44
Pragg vs Anish Giri
Anish Giri will play with the white pieces, while Praggnanandhaa will play with Black tonight in Round 8.
April 07, 2026 17:44
Here’s what happened when Pragg played Anish in Round 1
GM Praggnanandhaa defeated Anish Giri in his tournament opener, and the latter’s error on move 36 and Praggnanandhaa’s move on move 30 (Nf6) forced Anish to resign on move 51.
April 07, 2026 17:40
Tonight’s Round 8 pairings of the women’s section
Anna Muzychuk — Divya Deshmukh Bibisara Assaubayeva — Vaishali Rameshbabu Kateryna Lagno — Aleksandra Goryachkina Tan Zhongyi — Zhu Jiner
April 07, 2026 17:40
Round 8 (Tonight) pairings of Open Section
Andrey Esipenko — Javokhir Sindarov Wei Yi — Matthias Bluebaum Anish Giri — Praggnanandhaa R Hikaru Nakamura — Fabiano Caruana
April 07, 2026 17:39
Sindarov leads the pack at half-way mark
Javokhir Sindarov is currently the runaway leader with a score of 6/7 at the halfway point, holding a significant 1.5-point lead over his closest rival, Fabiano Caruana.
April 07, 2026 17:37
Important week of Chess
Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s coverage of Round 8 of the FIDE Candidates 2026.
#Deadspin #Jon #Rahm #confident #hell #play #Ryder #Cup #DPWT #stalemate">Deadspin | Jon Rahm confident he’ll play in ’27 Ryder Cup despite DPWT stalemate
Apr 6, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Jon Rahm hits his tee shot on the eighth hole during a practice round for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images
AUGUSTA, Ga. — John Rahm is confident his issues with the DP World Tour will be resolved in plenty of time for the Spaniard to compete for Europe in the 2027 Ryder Cup.
Eight LIV Golf players agreed to drop their appeals, pay pending fines to the DPWT and play in a mandatory minimum of six events — two determined by the tour — to retain membership. Rahm has declined to pay his fines, which reportedly exceed $3 million, and said last month that the conditions amount to “extorting players like myself.”
He took a much softer stance at the Masters on Tuesday, saying that discussions remain ongoing and that he’s confident the sides will reach a resolution.
“We keep talking to the DP World Tour and trying to figure out a solution that works best,” Rahm said. “I didn’t think that going the legal route and going to court was good for anybody. So I have faith in us and the DP World Tour we’re going to find a good solution for both of us.”
European Ryder Cup players must be active members of the DPWT. Asked if he feels confident that he will be able to compete at Adare Manor in Ireland in September 2027, Rahm simply replied, “Yes.”
In fact, Rahm is hopeful that the situation will be resolved in time for him to play in multiple events following the conclusion of the LIV Golf season in late August. He mentioned the Irish Open, the Spanish Open, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and “maybe even the (Alfred) Dunhill” as DPWT events he is looking forward to potentially playing later this year.
One of the main sticking points for Rahm is the two additional events being required of LIV players. He said previously that if he were required to only play the typical minimum of four required by the tour that he would have already signed the agreement. For now, Rahm says he doesn’t even know what his status with the DPWT is.
“I truly don’t know. If I were unable right now, it doesn’t matter since I’m not planning to tee it up until after August like I have done in my career,” he said. “I do intend to continue to support the DP World Tour. I’ve been very thankful to be a member. I’ve been very thankful to support the tour and play some wonderful events.
Rahm, 31, has been widely criticized for being the only one of nine LIV players in his situation not to drop his appeal and accept the DPWT’s requirements to maintain membership. Fellow European Ryder Cup star Rory McIlroy said he thought it was “a really generous deal,” and likened it to the one that Brooks Koepka agreed to in order to return to the PGA Tour.
Rahm said Masters week is not the time to be talking about his situation with the DPWT, but insisted that he has already shown a willingness to seek a compromise.
“We keep trying to negotiate. I have given in quite a bit in a few things — we’re going to work it out,” he said. “As of now, the DP World Tour is doing what they need to do and following the channels they need to follow, but I’m confident this will be sorted out before I tee it up in September.”
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after defeating Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) Getty Images
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after defeating Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) Getty Images
#Fernando #Mendoza #big #NFL #Draft #decision">Fernando Mendoza makes big NFL Draft decision
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after defeating Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) Getty Images
#Indian #Sports #Wrap #April #Abhay #Singh #Youssef #Ibrahim #Gouna #Open">Indian Sports Wrap, April 7: Abhay Singh goes down against Youssef Ibrahim at El Gouna Open
SQUASH
Top-ranked Indian Abhay Singh went down in a five-game thriller to Egyptian world No 7 Youssef Ibrahim in the men’s second round of the El Gouna Open squash, a PSA Platinum event, in El Gouna, Egypt, on Monday.
World No. 25 Abhay began strongly, winning the opening and third games, before the Egyptian wrested control to advance with a hard-fought 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8 victory in 68 minutes.
-Team Sportstar
SURFING
The championship is aiming to expand India’s competitive surfing circuit.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The championship is aiming to expand India’s competitive surfing circuit.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The Surfing Federation of India, in association with the Department of Tourism, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, is set to host the national-level surfing championship ‘Little Andaman Pro 2026’ for the very first time in the islands.
Scheduled from April 9 to 12, the four-day championship will take place at Butler Bay Beach.
Speaking about the upcoming championship, SFI President Arun Vasu said, “The Little Andaman Pro marks an important milestone for Indian surfing. It not only strengthens our National Surf Series but also provides athletes the opportunity to compete in high-quality reef conditions, which is essential for their growth at the international level.”
-Team Sportstar
GOLF
Dhruv Sheoran leads by one on Day 1 of Andhra Open Golf Championship
Dhruv Sheoran, a winner on the DP World PGTI, posted an opening round of four-under 67 to set the pace in round one of the Rs 1 crore Andhra Open at the East Point Golf Club (EPGC) in Visakhapatnam.
The 31-year-old Dhruv soared to the top of the leaderboard with an eagle on the par-5 12th and a run of three consecutive birdies from the first through the third.
On the 12th, Dhruv hit a massive 372-yard drive followed by a gap wedge that left him two feet short of the hole, and he converted the putt for eagle on the par-71 course.
The Bengaluru-based duo of PGTI winners Chikkarangappa S. and Khalin Joshi were tied second, one shot back at three-under 68.
– PTI
HOCKEY
Odisha overpowers Kerala; Chandigarh and Haryana register win
Chandigarh, Haryana, Odisha, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu registered victories in their respective Division ‘A’ matches at the 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship in Rajgir.
In the first match of the day, Chandigarh staged a spirited comeback to defeat Maharashtra 5–3 in a pulsating Pool A match.
Maharashtra drew first blood through Pravin Patiyal Pratham (21’), but Chandigarh skipper Sahil Duhan (27’) responded swiftly to restore parity.
Rehan Shafi Khan (32’) put Maharashtra back in front soon after the break, yet Chandigarh showed resilience once again. Goals from Parambir Singh (46’) and Arjandeep Singh (53’) turned the tide in their favour, giving them a crucial one-goal lead.
Maharashtra refused to back down, with Rehan Shafi Khan (56’) scoring his second of the match to level proceedings. However, the momentum swung decisively in Chandigarh’s favour as Parambir Singh (56’) completed his brace moments later, before Afridi (57’) put the result beyond doubt
The second game of the day saw Hockey Haryana register a comfortable 3–0 win over Hockey Manipur in their Pool C clash. Aditya Kumar (11’) , Ashish (16’) and Rohit (42’) were the goal scorers.
Odisha delivered a dominant performance, thrashing Kerala 8–0 in their Pool D match with Deepak Prakash Toppo (13’), Mohan Majhi (18’, 48’), Amandeep Dang (38’), Manesh Naik (41’), Bikash Majhi (45’), Mithles Kerketta (52’) and Bipul Tirkey (57’) scoring.
In the fourth and final match of the day, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Hockey registered a commanding 6–0 victory over Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu in their Pool B encounter.
Dhiraj Pal (20’, 54’) and Abhishek Pal (31’, 60’) scored a brace each while Ajay Yadav (17’) and Pawan Yadav (47’) also resgistered their names on the scoresheet.
– PTI
CRICKET
Bengal Pro T20 League to get a ninth team in 2026 season
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Tuesday welcomed a ninth franchise, Novus Purulia Royals, for the third season of the Bengal Pro T20 League (BPTL) scheduled in June.
“BPTL has been a success, helping find talent. I am thrilled to announce the ninth franchise for the league,” said CAB president Sourav Ganguly in the presence of well known cricketers such as Jhulan Goswami, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammed Shami and Rinku Singh in Kolkata.
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