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Fide Master Subrota Biswas took solo lead in the Marcel International Rating Chess Tournament securing 5.5 points after the 6th and penultimate round matches held at Manhas Castle Hall-Room in Green Road on Wednesday.

Five players are sharing the second position with 5 points each. They are Anata Choudhury, FM Mohammad Javed, Sharif Hossain, Md Abzid Rahman, and Feroz Ahmed.

Another five players shared the third position with 4.5 points each.

They are IM Mohammad Minhaz Uddin, FM Khandekar Aminul Islam, Tutul Dhar, Mukitul Islam Ripon, and Md. Nasim Hossain Bhuiyan.

In the day's 6th round, FM Subrota Biswas beat IM Mohammad Minhaz Uddin, Anata Choudhury drew with CM Md. Sharif Hossain, and FM Mohammad Javed beat Md. Azmaeen Parvez Sayor, Md. Abzid Rahman beat Md,. Masum Hossain, Feroz Ahmed beat CM Sohel Chowdhury, FM Khandekar Aminul Islam beat Abdul Momin, Jabed Al Azad drew with Sk. Rashedul Hasan, Tutul Dhar beat AB Bappi, Md. Nasim Hossain Bhuiyan got a walk-over against Md. Sagor, and Mukitul Islam Ripon beat Din Mohammad.

The 7th and last round matches will be held on Thursday from 10:30 am at the same venue.

Excerpt from:
Int'l Rating Chess: FM Subrota Biswas takes solo lead - United News of Bangladesh - UNB

Kids from throughout Orange County and beyond rolled up their sleeves and let their imaginations soar this weekend, as the OC Fair & Event Center hosted its annual Imaginology where children are encouraged to explore, experiment and play.

Thousands of families flocked to the O.C. fairgrounds in Costa Mesa for the free festival Saturday and Sunday, which featured live entertainment and more than 100 exhibitors leading participants in fun hands-on projects, crafts and demonstrations centered around science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).

Alex Deleon, Euan Cousar, and Leon Vay, instructors from Irvine Coder School, assist kids on computers during Imaginology at the O.C. fairgrounds on Saturday.

(Susan Hoffman)

Because the fairgrounds are the center of operations for the states 32nd Agricultural Assn., and home to a year-round working farm, some of the activities offered at Imaginology had an agricultural or outdoor twist.

Representatives from Californias Department of Fish & Wildlife, for example, taught young attendees how to fish and cast lines, while volunteers at the fairgrounds Centennial Farm milked a goat and visitors to the sites equestrian center rode horses, some for the first time ever.

Inside two exhibitor buildings, some kids tried their hand at computer coding while others watched robots in action and still others tried on a blubber glove in frigid water to see how marine mammals maintain body heat in the ocean.

Kids create clay fossils as part of Art Steps section during Imaginology at the OC Fair & Events Center Saturday.

(Susan Hoffman)

OCFEC Executive Director Michele Richards said in a recent interview the event which began in 1989 as a Youth Expo where kids competed in fair-like competitions now aims to inspire young students to explore different STEAM-related fields as possible courses of study or careers in the future.

As such, exhibitors seeking to attend Imaginology were given one simple instruction, according to Richards.

We had one request for them, she said. You cant just have a booth, you have to have an interactive activity where kids can sit down and create something and learning something they didnt know about before.

Even though the in-person fun ended Sunday evening, several online activities offer videos, games and experiments with a STEAM focus that children and families can do at home, at ocfair.com/imaginology/stem.

Twinkle Time performs Saturday as part of a Dia Del Nino celebration at Imaginology presented by Arts Orange County and Media Arts Santa Ana.

(Susan Hoffman)

Go here to see the original:
Imaginology brought STEAM fields to life through chess, computers ... - Los Angeles Times

Emalahleni Chess Academy hosted chess players from across the country and beyond the borders. TheEmalahleniAutumn Open Chess tournament was well supported.

The tournament was held at the Lynnville Hall on Saturday, April 15 and hosted over 80 chess players from all regions of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and even the Eastern Cape province. Thetournamenteven attracted players from Lesotho and Swaziland.

This was by far the biggest chess event in the province, not only in terms of the prize fund but also in terms of the strength of the players it attracted.

The event was honoured by the presence of some ofGautengstop players which included the Great Jacob Mnguni rated above 2200, accompanied by Mthunzi Brighton and Candidate Master Khanya Mazibuko.

The University of LimpopoChess Clubsent out a convincing team of young stars who were ably led by the young Sello Mahlangu, former University Sports South Africa (USSA) champion. Khulasande Mafanya, aka Koolz the MC was there representing Eastern Cape and his academy ThinkChess Academy.

The hosting province, Mpumalanga, had every region coming out to show the country that we have chess clubs here and they are strong and functional.

Ehlanzeni was represented by the Mbombela Chess Club and the Nkomazi Chess Club with over 20 players having travelled hundreds of kilometres to test theirchesstactics and strategies against some of the top players in the country.

Gert Sibande Region was represented by players from the Embalenhle Chess Club as led by Makhosonke Khuhlase, and Nkangala.

The hosting region was represented by the Emalahleni Chess Academy boosting some of the strongest unrated players such as Ronald Makombore who scored some unexpected yet spectacular wins against some much higher-rated players.

Woza Nabangani BakhoChess Club, also representing the Nkangala region brought some brilliant young players to give them a chance to experience high-level chess played in their background.

We were impressed to witness the joy in the faces of the juniors who took both the wins and losses with grace and stayed on to play all six rounds of the tournament. A special mention to Tshegofatso Chego, a physically challenged young man who, to me, embodied the nature of chess as a mental game which brings positive stimulation to the mind. You had to see the bright light coming out of his eyes and see the joy beaming out of his face to understand the pleasure that comes with chess, said Mr Fortune Macassa, tournament organiser.

He added to say that it gave him such a pleasure to see more than 80 players mentally stimulated in the game of chess coming from all the corners of Mpumalanga and beyond to gather at Lynnville Hall.

According to him, it was not the promise of the prize money, but rather the hope that one might be fortunate enough to play at least one game against a player so good that it challenges one to dig deeper into their chest of creative ideas and meet themselves; because a good game of chess can send one into a deep state of meditation and allow one to understand themselves; because all we are is in our minds.

I have intentionally delayed mentioning Mpumalangas most valuable chess treasure, which is the number one player in the province who always steps up to defend the honour of Mpumalanga chess whenever we have visitors. That of course is Fide Master Banele Mhango, the champion of many chess events in South Africa, and now the champion of the Emalahleni Autumn Open Chess Tournament. Candidate Master Khanya Mazibuko finished second, followed by Jacob Mnguni in third place.

The best female player prize went to Naleli McPherson from Lesotho and the best Junior was Nkhwashu Geraldine from Nkangala. The greatest prize of all was the rejuvenating energy of chess players coming together to catch up with old friends and make new ones. The spirit of oneness amongst chess players from all over makes us all feel that we do actually belong together. The memories we create keep us going strong until the next time we meet again to recharge and remember, we are one big family, added Macassa.

He further thanked the organisers under the leadership of Emalahleni Chess Academy under him, Corridon Masina, the secretary who made this big event a huge success as this would not have been possible without them.

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The 2022 NBA champions Golden State Warriors, led by their centerpiece Stephen Curry, have had a horrendous start to their 2023 playoffs run. However, experts and analysts still have their money on the Dubs to try and make a comeback against the Sacramento Kings despite being down 2-0. With all the other heavyweights in the Western Conference taking most of the headlines, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James, are quietly making their moves.

The Lakers are 1-0 up against the Memphis Grizzlies and former NBA star Jamal Crawford has high hopes for the team albeit under one condition. He recently joined the Dan Patrick Show and talked about how the chess master LeBron might lead his team to glory this season.

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During a segment of the show, the host asked Jamal Crawford whether he thinks the Denver Nuggets are the team to beat in the West. Crawford didnt hesitate and named the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors as his favorites going into the playoffs. However, he feels the Lakers have a great chance of winning as well and they are right there with Kevin Durant and Currys teams.

The Lakers chances of winning are contingent on one man. You guessed it right, it is LeBron James. According to Crawford, the four-time NBA champion has to be the master manipulator making moves, while his team is in the fourth quarter. Moreover, he had some instructions for the rest of the players as well.

Crawford said, I can see the Lakers being right there as well. When the game slows down, LeBrons at his best, hes a chess master. And I have always said, for the Lakers to go where they want to go, LeBron has to be their fourth-quarter guy. AD and the other guys have to be the first and third-quarter guys to kind of carry him.

King James has come up clutch on numerous occasions for his team this season. The NBAs All-Time Top Scorer averages 8.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in the fourth quarter this season.

Crawford also chimed in on Kevin Durant and the Suns. When asked about their loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, he said, I think it happens when you are in the playoffs for the first time, trying to figure it out. Despite having the likes of Durant and Booker on the court, the Clippers got the better of the Suns. They play their next game on the 19th.

The Golden State Warriors were touted to be one of the strongest teams coming into the 2023 NBA playoffs. However, the reality seems to be quite different. They are 2-0 down against the Sacramento Kings!

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Although Curry has scored 30 and 28 points in both of their away losses, the team as a whole has struggled. Moreover, four-time NBA champion Draymond Green was ejected during game 2 of the 7-game series and this has invited a lot of flak.

With all such issues inside the team and the Kings looking more charged than ever, the Warriors have a Herculean task on their hands. They play their next game on the 21st at Chase Center.

WATCH THIS STORY: Millionaire Charles Barkley May Be in $1,000,000,000 Debt to Shaquille ONeal After Trae Youngs Hawks Leave Him Speechless

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What are your predictions for the 2023 NBA playoffs? Let us know in the comments down below.

Read more from the original source:
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durants Teams Need to Watch Out for Chess Master LeBron James, says Ex-NBA Star - EssentiallySports

If Maharashtra politics, defined by Bollywood in Mumbai, is a theatrical chess board of Indian politics, the Grandmaster of Maha politics is Sharad Pawar the doughty Maratha chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Pawar can conjure up unlikely alliances the Maha Vikas Agadhi that partnered the Congress with Uddhav Thackerays Shiv Sena and also make a smooth somersault in to a pairing with the ruling BJP.

So as rumours and stories swirled around that Ajit Pawar, nephew of Pawar Sr, was planning to join the BJP and partner with them to form the government all eyes were on the NCP chief.

After all he had previously gotten his nephew to dump the BJP after a morning swearing in with Devendra Fadnavis for a government that lasted for mere days.

If you know Maharashtra politics, you also know that Pawar junior, who has a burning ambition to be the CM of Maharashtra, having been deputy CM multiple times and an MLA for seven terms, will make no move without his uncles explicit permission.

Love-hate relationship with Modi

Fact: Pawar Sr commands absolute loyalty of the NCP MLAs, so the idea that 40 of them were prepared to go with Ajit seemed outlandish.

Combine that with how the Maratha strongman has been making nice with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, bailing him out on the questions surrounding his relationship with the controversial billionaire, Gautam Adani and dismissing that Modis academic degree was a political issue, just when Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi chief minister, made a bigissue out of it.

So what were the uncle and nephew playing at? That question has gripped Mumbai, Indias opposition including Sonia Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray and triggered a media frenzy in the country.

Add to it Supriya Sule, daughter of Pawar Sr, saying that a political earthquake would soon take place and you had thousands of trees felled for newsprint and hour after hour of anchors screaming on TV screens.

Image Credit: ANI

Shinde-Fadnavis: The great tugging match

So lets unpack. The NCP leaders and MLAs have been facing heat from the investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with several under probe.

90 per cent of the ED cases in India are against the opposition leaders. From Nawab Malik to Praful Patel close aide of Pawar Sr the ED heat is being dialled up as the 2024 general election approaches.

Meanwhile for the BJP, toppling Thackeray by breaking the Shiv Sena and partnering with Eknath Shinde may have put them in command but Mahastate government serves from a severe image deficit.

Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis (who wants to quickly occupy the top job) are locked in a combat situation and cant see eye to eye on any administrative matter. This has resulted in lacklustre governance.

The sympathy that Thackeray has received his image of essentially being a decent, classy guy betrayed by his own has alarmed most BJPelection mavens.

Seeing Shinde as the CM on daily wages at the mercy of the BJP should be a wake up call for Ajit Pawar. Theperils of partnering with the BJP are only obvious.

The BJP top brass also realises that Fadnavis will need to be moved out if a stable government has to be created. Hence the new plan to make Fadnavis contest the Pune Lok Sabha by-election and move him to Delhi.

Image Credit:

Will Pawar finally make a move?

So what happens to Shinde if Pawar and NCP come on board. Shinde will be history and his bunch of MLAs virtually unelectable. They will have little choice but to return to Thackeray.

At the heart of the overtures made to Pawar is the realisation in the BJP that it is not in a position to win Maharashtra with Shinde and his team.

The BJP would need to break one of the three opposition parties. Currently the NCP seems ready to do business. But, when push comes to shove will Pawar actually break ranks with the opposition?

Pawar is such a shrewd political that even he perhaps doesnt know the political calculus which will animate him tomorrow.

Officially both nephew and uncle denied the new tie up rumours late yesterday. But, in Mumbai the screenplay can change anytime.

Stay tuned for the latest and fastest scoop in this space.

Swati Chaturvedi

Swati Chaturvedi is an award-winning journalist and author of I Am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJPs Digital Army.

Read more:
Maharashtra Political Drama: An ongoing chess game of power, ambition and loyalty - Gulf News