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FIDE Candidates 2026 Standings: Vaishali sits second, Sindarov extends lead after Round 7  India’s R. Vaishali jumped in the standings to sit sole second after beating China’s Tan Zhongyi in the seventh round of the FIDE Women’s Candidates in Cyprus on Sunday.Meanwhile in the Open section, young Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov extended his sole lead with a draw with Netherlands’ Anish Giri.
Standings – After Round 7
Open
1. Javokhir Sindarov – 6

2. Fabiano Caruana – 4.5

3. Anish Giri – 3.5

4. R. Praggnanandhaa – 3.5

5. Wei Yi – 3

6. Matthias Bluebaum – 3

7. Hikaru Nakamura – 2.5

8. Andrey Esipenko – 2
Women’s
1. Anna Muzychuk – 4.5

2. R. Vaishali – 4

3. Zhu Jiner – 3.5

4. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 3.5

5. Kateryna Lagno – 3.5

6. Divya Deshmukh – 3.5

7. Bibisara Assaubayeva – 3

8. Tan Zhongyi – 2.5
Published on Apr 04, 2026  #FIDE #Candidates #Standings #Vaishali #sits #Sindarov #extends #lead

FIDE Candidates 2026 Standings: Vaishali sits second, Sindarov extends lead after Round 7

India’s R. Vaishali jumped in the standings to sit sole second after beating China’s Tan Zhongyi in the seventh round of the FIDE Women’s Candidates in Cyprus on Sunday.

Meanwhile in the Open section, young Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov extended his sole lead with a draw with Netherlands’ Anish Giri.

Standings – After Round 7
Open

1. Javokhir Sindarov – 6

2. Fabiano Caruana – 4.5

3. Anish Giri – 3.5

4. R. Praggnanandhaa – 3.5

5. Wei Yi – 3

6. Matthias Bluebaum – 3

7. Hikaru Nakamura – 2.5

8. Andrey Esipenko – 2

Women’s

1. Anna Muzychuk – 4.5

2. R. Vaishali – 4

3. Zhu Jiner – 3.5

4. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 3.5

5. Kateryna Lagno – 3.5

6. Divya Deshmukh – 3.5

7. Bibisara Assaubayeva – 3

8. Tan Zhongyi – 2.5

Published on Apr 04, 2026

#FIDE #Candidates #Standings #Vaishali #sits #Sindarov #extends #lead

India’s R. Vaishali jumped in the standings to sit sole second after beating China’s Tan Zhongyi in the seventh round of the FIDE Women’s Candidates in Cyprus on Sunday.

Meanwhile in the Open section, young Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov extended his sole lead with a draw with Netherlands’ Anish Giri.

Standings – After Round 7
Open

1. Javokhir Sindarov – 6

2. Fabiano Caruana – 4.5

3. Anish Giri – 3.5

4. R. Praggnanandhaa – 3.5

5. Wei Yi – 3

6. Matthias Bluebaum – 3

7. Hikaru Nakamura – 2.5

8. Andrey Esipenko – 2

Women’s

1. Anna Muzychuk – 4.5

2. R. Vaishali – 4

3. Zhu Jiner – 3.5

4. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 3.5

5. Kateryna Lagno – 3.5

6. Divya Deshmukh – 3.5

7. Bibisara Assaubayeva – 3

8. Tan Zhongyi – 2.5

Published on Apr 04, 2026

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#FIDE #Candidates #Standings #Vaishali #sits #Sindarov #extends #lead

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Deadspin | Michigan heavy favorite to complete dominant title run vs. UConn <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28663413.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28663413.jpg" alt="NCAA Basketball: Final Four National Semifinal-Michigan at Arizona" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) high fives forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the second half in a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>UConn has won two of the past three national championships but will enter Monday night’s title game against Michigan as a heavy underdog.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>That’s because the top-seeded Wolverines have blitzed through their first five games of the NCAA Tournament, winning by an average of 21.6 points. That includes an 18-point dismantling of fellow No. 1 seed Arizona on Saturday night in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>UConn, the No. 2 seed in the East, followed a dramatic upset of No. 1 Duke in the Elite Eight with a systematic breakdown of No. 3 seed Illinois. Still, the Huskies will enter Monday night as the underdog for their third consecutive game.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>Michigan was a consensus 7.0-point favorite across major sportsbooks on Sunday, with the Wolverines seeking to become the first Big Ten team to win the national title since the 1999-2000 season.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>The line was sitting at 6.5 points at both BetMGM and DraftKings, where the line opened at 7.5. The total points line at 144.5 at both books. At DraftKings, the shortest odds on the winning margin was Michigan to win by 3-6 points at +425, followed by a Wolverines victory by 10-13 points at +450. UConn’s shortest odds for a victory were 3-6 points at +800.</p> </section><section id="section-6"> <p>The Wolverines are the 10th Big Ten team to reach the final in a season that began this century, but the most recent team to cut down the nets remains Michigan State in 1999-2000. Michigan looking to complete a turnaround that saw the program stumble to an 8-24 finish just two years ago.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-7"> <p>UConn is in the final for the third time in four years, but will go up against a Michigan team that already is the first in history to score at least 90 points five times in a single NCAA Tournament. </p> </section> <section id="section-8"> <p>“We know it’s just one more, so we’re going to try to get it,” Michigan’s Aday Mara said after Saturday’s beat down of Arizona.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>The Huskies certainly have recent history on their site, and coach Dan Hurley will enter Monday night with a 350-179 career coaching record along with that pair of national titles. No program has won three in a four-year span since the 1972-75 UCLA Bruins.</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>UConn has 18 wins this season in which it has held its opponent under 40 percent shooting, and the Huskies held Illinois to 33.9% shooting from three-point range on Saturdya.</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>“We’re a group of fighters. It’s not appealing to everyone,” Hurley said. “I’m sure there’s some people in here that it’s off-putting for. But we are a group of fighters. We are incredibly tough. We’ve got incredible will. We go into these games, we’re ready for battle. </p> </section><section id="section-12"> <p>“Again, for us it’s not a game that we’re just kind of running around in uniforms throwing the ball around, hoping it goes in. That’s not what we’re doing out there. We’re fighting. It’s a life-and-death struggle for us to get to Monday night for the opportunity to win a championship, and then just to be able to prolong this season with each other and to make the people of Connecticut proud, to make the university proud and all the former great players.”</p> </section><section id="section-13"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section></div> #Deadspin #Michigan #heavy #favorite #complete #dominant #title #run #UConn

The first game of NFL preseason had no right to be that good. The Panthers and Cardinals gave us a Hall of Fame classic on Thursday night that came down to the final play, with rookie quarterback Haynes King rushing for a touchdown as time expired to give Carolina the win. Not only was the level of play much higher than anyone expected, but there was plenty of drama along the way.

Whenever there’s a national game like there are overreactions, especially in preseason. Let’s dive into what we’re all reacting to after Panthers-Cardinals.

No. 1: Haynes King is coming for Bryce Youngs job

There is no question Haynes King was a standout performer on Thursday night at QB, with the rookie showing poise in the pocket, an ability to move the chains, and scoring three touchdowns for the Panthers, including the game-winner.

King is third on the QB depth chart in Carolina behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett — and he could very well push Pickett for the backup job, but the idea he’ll supplant the starter is ridiculous. No matter how great that performance was, the rookie had been struggling in training camp up to this point, particularly with his decision making. So while it’s tempting to glean too much info from preseaon, we also need to pump the brakes on getting too hyped over watching King succeed against the Cardinals depth defenders.

If Carolina is able to land a long-term backup in King it will still be a massive win for them.

No. 2: Carson Beck is a superstar in the making

We had a standout performance from Carson Beck, with the rookie really showing off both the velocity of his arm in tight windows and some touch in small spaces where needed. It led to a lot of people getting so blown away with the performance that things got a little carried away, annointing Beck as a star in the making, a draft steal, and the reason the Cardinals won’t be picking a QB in 2027.

Let’s chill out on taking it this far. Beck had a really good game, but the Panthers defense was a mess in the secondary. Carolina started their deep-depth players and guys on the back-end of the roster, with the defense not even being called by coordinator Ejiro Evero. Beck still needed to make the throws, but the bulk of his yards came on busted coverage and throwing into giant gaping windows.

We’ll need to see that same level performance against a real defense before we can even begin the discussion in earnest.

No. 3: The Panthers pass defense is in trouble

This dovetails off the discussion of Carson Beck, because, as mentioned, there were a ton of mitigating factors here. Not only did Carolina start their extreme depth, but they didnt have their defensive coordinator use any situational playcalling. Instead they more or less sat in their base shell and allowed the defense to pick them apart.

Not that you ever want your team getting destroyed in the passing game, but it’s too early to panic.

No. 4: Getting too carried away with two receivers

On each side of the ball we had a receiver who turned heads and got people a little too excited, a little too quickly. Arizona’s Jalen Brooks and Carolina’s Ja’Seem Reed coninuted their good training camp reports with solid games, but people are getting a little carried away with both at this point.

Brooks is a former 7th rounder who struggled to hold a back-end roster spot with the Cowboys, and Reed is a UDFA. That doesn’t mean they won’t have success, but the talk after the game was whether or not these guys could become top-four rotation receivers.

If they make the 53 it will be a major achievement for either. That’s still the expectation here, and should be how we think about these players.

#overreactions #PanthersCardinals #Hall #Fame #banger">4 overreactions from the Panthers-Cardinals Hall of Fame banger  The first game of NFL preseason had no right to be that good. The Panthers and Cardinals gave us a Hall of Fame classic on Thursday night that came down to the final play, with rookie quarterback Haynes King rushing for a touchdown as time expired to give Carolina the win. Not only was the level of play much higher than anyone expected, but there was plenty of drama along the way.Whenever there’s a national game like there are overreactions, especially in preseason. Let’s dive into what we’re all reacting to after Panthers-Cardinals.No. 1: Haynes King is coming for Bryce Youngs jobThere is no question Haynes King was a standout performer on Thursday night at QB, with the rookie showing poise in the pocket, an ability to move the chains, and scoring three touchdowns for the Panthers, including the game-winner.King is third on the QB depth chart in Carolina behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett — and he could very well push Pickett for the backup job, but the idea he’ll supplant the starter is ridiculous. No matter how great that performance was, the rookie had been struggling in training camp up to this point, particularly with his decision making. So while it’s tempting to glean too much info from preseaon, we also need to pump the brakes on getting too hyped over watching King succeed against the Cardinals depth defenders.If Carolina is able to land a long-term backup in King it will still be a massive win for them.No. 2: Carson Beck is a superstar in the makingWe had a standout performance from Carson Beck, with the rookie really showing off both the velocity of his arm in tight windows and some touch in small spaces where needed. It led to a lot of people getting so blown away with the performance that things got a little carried away, annointing Beck as a star in the making, a draft steal, and the reason the Cardinals won’t be picking a QB in 2027.Let’s chill out on taking it this far. Beck had a really good game, but the Panthers defense was a mess in the secondary. Carolina started their deep-depth players and guys on the back-end of the roster, with the defense not even being called by coordinator Ejiro Evero. Beck still needed to make the throws, but the bulk of his yards came on busted coverage and throwing into giant gaping windows.We’ll need to see that same level performance against a real defense before we can even begin the discussion in earnest.No. 3: The Panthers pass defense is in troubleThis dovetails off the discussion of Carson Beck, because, as mentioned, there were a ton of mitigating factors here. Not only did Carolina start their extreme depth, but they didnt have their defensive coordinator use any situational playcalling. Instead they more or less sat in their base shell and allowed the defense to pick them apart.Not that you ever want your team getting destroyed in the passing game, but it’s too early to panic.No. 4: Getting too carried away with two receiversOn each side of the ball we had a receiver who turned heads and got people a little too excited, a little too quickly. Arizona’s Jalen Brooks and Carolina’s Ja’Seem Reed coninuted their good training camp reports with solid games, but people are getting a little carried away with both at this point.Brooks is a former 7th rounder who struggled to hold a back-end roster spot with the Cowboys, and Reed is a UDFA. That doesn’t mean they won’t have success, but the talk after the game was whether or not these guys could become top-four rotation receivers.If they make the 53 it will be a major achievement for either. That’s still the expectation here, and should be how we think about these players.  #overreactions #PanthersCardinals #Hall #Fame #banger

Ranjit Bajaj has decided against taking up the India Under-15 men’s national team manager’s role alongside head coach Bibiano Fernandes for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan in October, Minerva Academy founder-director announced on his Instagram handle.

Bajaj’s reason is that the he and Bibiano have different footballing philosophies and putting them together would not be in the team’s best interest.

Bajaj, who was approved as the team manager by the AIFF Executive Committee following the appointment of Fernandes as head coach, said he was deeply unhappy with the decision and believed the team could suffer if its key personnel were not aligned in their approach.

“People are congratulating me but I am not happy. I am very unhappy. This is the worst thing they could have done,” Bajaj said in a post on his Instagram handle.

Explaining the rationale behind his decision, Bajaj said the AIFF had appointed him and Fernandes together despite their contrasting styles and visions, though he made it clear that his decision was not a personal issue with the head coach.

“You people (AIFF) appointed me and Bibiano (Fernandes) together. I don’t have any problems with Bibiano but I have a problem because of different playing styles and different visions,” he said.

Bajaj said the difference was fundamental, with his preferred approach built around an aggressive, attacking game while Fernandes’ methods were more defensive.

“From low block defensive style to high press attacking style, getting into opposition territory and smashing them are completely different styles. It’s not about me or Bibiano. If two people are not on same page, then team suffers,” he said.

The Minerva founder also questioned the circumstances of his appointment, saying the federation had turned to him despite their differences because of his team’s success and the process behind it.

“Also you called me because you didn’t have an option. It is not as if there are world famous coaches at your disposal. So you summoned your biggest critic, biggest hater and maybe because my team (Minerva) wins,” Bajaj said.

He also suggested that Fernandes should have been given charge of the U-15 side earlier if the AIFF had intended to make him the head coach, while urging supporters to back the former India youth coach.

“Even if you guys wanted to give Bibiano the charge, you should have given it one year back. Okay, if you given him now, I request fans, we should support Bibiano,” Bajaj said.

The AIFF Executive Committee, on the recommendation of its Technical Committee, had approved Fernandes’ appointment as head coach, subject to his acceptance, for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival scheduled to be held in Azerbaijan in October.

Bajaj had earlier volunteered on social media to take charge of the team, but had made it conditional on being allowed to appoint his own coaching staff.

The inaugural tournament will feature all 211 FIFA member associations, including India. It will be played in an 8-a-side format on smaller customised pitches, with matches consisting of two 20-minute halves. Each team can register 14 players, including up to two goalkeepers.

(With PTI inputs)

Published on Aug 07, 2026

#Ranjit #Bajaj #reject #role #India #manager #U15 #FIFA #World #Cup #Festival">Why did Ranjit Bajaj reject role as India manager for U-15 FIFA World Cup and Festival?  Ranjit Bajaj has decided against taking up the India Under-15 men’s national team manager’s role alongside head coach Bibiano Fernandes for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan in October, Minerva Academy founder-director announced on his        Instagram handle.Bajaj’s reason is that the he and Bibiano have different footballing philosophies and putting them together would not be in the team’s best interest.Bajaj, who was approved as the team manager by the AIFF Executive Committee following the appointment of Fernandes as head coach, said he was deeply unhappy with the decision and believed the team could suffer if its key personnel were not aligned in their approach.“People are congratulating me but I am not happy. I am very unhappy. This is the worst thing they could have done,” Bajaj said in a post on his        Instagram handle.Explaining the rationale behind his decision, Bajaj said the AIFF had appointed him and Fernandes together despite their contrasting styles and visions, though he made it clear that his decision was not a personal issue with the head coach.“You people (AIFF) appointed me and Bibiano (Fernandes) together. I don’t have any problems with Bibiano but I have a problem because of different playing styles and different visions,” he said.Bajaj said the difference was fundamental, with his preferred approach built around an aggressive, attacking game while Fernandes’ methods were more defensive.“From low block defensive style to high press attacking style, getting into opposition territory and smashing them are completely different styles. It’s not about me or Bibiano. If two people are not on same page, then team suffers,” he said.The Minerva founder also questioned the circumstances of his appointment, saying the federation had turned to him despite their differences because of his team’s success and the process behind it.“Also you called me because you didn’t have an option. It is not as if there are world famous coaches at your disposal. So you summoned your biggest critic, biggest hater and maybe because my team (Minerva) wins,” Bajaj said.He also suggested that Fernandes should have been given charge of the U-15 side earlier if the AIFF had intended to make him the head coach, while urging supporters to back the former India youth coach.“Even if you guys wanted to give Bibiano the charge, you should have given it one year back. Okay, if you given him now, I request fans, we should support Bibiano,” Bajaj said.The AIFF Executive Committee, on the recommendation of its Technical Committee, had approved Fernandes’ appointment as head coach, subject to his acceptance, for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival scheduled to be held in Azerbaijan in October.Bajaj had earlier volunteered on social media to take charge of the team, but had made it conditional on being allowed to appoint his own coaching staff.The inaugural tournament will feature all 211 FIFA member associations, including India. It will be played in an 8-a-side format on smaller customised pitches, with matches consisting of two 20-minute halves. Each team can register 14 players, including up to two goalkeepers.(With PTI inputs)Published on Aug 07, 2026  #Ranjit #Bajaj #reject #role #India #manager #U15 #FIFA #World #Cup #Festival

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