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GRANDMASTER ARJUN ERIGAISI THROUGH TO CHESS WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS, STAYING FOCUSED EACH GAME

Arjun Erigaisi defeats two-time champion Levon Aronian to reach the FIDE World Cup quarterfinals. The Indian star revealed Aronian's draw offer gave him the confidence to secure a crucial victory with black pieces.

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi through to Chess World Cup quarterfinals, staying focused each game
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi (Photo Credits: ChaseBase India)

In the second game of the round of 16 on Saturday, Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated two-time champion GM Levon Aronian of the United States with black pieces, advancing him to the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIDE World Cup.

After GM Jose Eduardo Matinez Alcantara of Mexico and Indian player GM P Harikrishna drew, their round of 16 match will now be determined in tiebreakers on Sunday.

Arjun claims that Aronian's draw offer gave him the confidence to win.


With the game hanging in the balance, Arjun used his prowling knights to gain an unbalanced pawn structure and inflict some damage on the king's side. Arjun continued to press his advantage to record a victory, as Aronian was unable to recover from a worse position.

Despite his regrets about several of his early plays, Arjun claimed that Aronian's knight move, offering a dra, helped him reverse the tide of the match after the victory.

I began to second-guess a few of my actions. I could not decide whether to place the queen on d7 or c7. After determining that it was a D7, I started to regret it. I played H6, but I also felt bad about it. I was not really certain at one point whether I was on the right or wrong side of equality," Arjun remarked.

However, he gave a draw when he played Knight e3. That gave me some assurance that a draw would satisfy him. That provided me some leverage, and he found it difficult after that," he continued.

Arjun is not bothered by the fact that he is currently the top-ranked player left in the competition.

"I do not care about it. Simply put, I am glad to still be there. I will concentrate on that and take each match as it comes," he declared.

The Candidates competition will be open to the top three finishers at the Chess World Cup.

JJ REDICK ADDRESSES RUI HACHIMURA ABSENCE; JAKE LARAVIA EXPECTED TO START FOR LAKERS

Rui Hachimura is out with calf soreness. Discover how JJ Redick plans to stop the Pistons on LeBron James’ 41st birthday.

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ESPN Confirms Rui Hachimura Out

Los Angeles Lakers' coach JJ Redick was seen on the court during a timeout in their game against the Sacramento Kings on December 28, 2025.

The Lakers are having a rough time with injuries. Austin Reaves is out for a month with a calf strain, and now Rui Hachimura is also sidelined.

According to ESPN, Hachimura has calf soreness and won't play against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

Gabe Vincent has been out with his back issue since December 14. The only good news is that Jaxson Hayes, who had an ankle sprain, is back.

So, Hachimura is out tomorrow with a calf problem.

Lakers Injury Report vs. Pistons

With Hachimura out, coach Redick will probably start Jake LaRavia. LaRavia has been scoring around 10 points and grabbing 6 boards as a starter. He's been okay as a wing player. He is not the shooter everyone was expecting, but he is not bad; he can play both forward positions.

The Lakers have had a ton of injuries this year, forcing Redick to use a bunch of different starting lineups. Reaves' injury hit Redick hard, since he's a big fan.

Redick said he feels bad for Reaves, especially since it's a longer-term injury.

More Time for Nick Smith Jr.?

With Hachimura out, Nick Smith Jr. might get more minutes. He was great in the win against the Kings.

Even though Marcus Smart started in place of Reaves, Smith really benefited, taking 14 shots in 25 minutes off the bench. He scored 21 points, with five 3-pointers. Smith said he's ready for more chances.

Smith said he's just trying to take it one day at a time, especially since he's on a two-way contract. He wants to be ready whenever he gets the call, and he was ready last game.

He also added that he is in a space where he is just locked in right now.

The Lakers (20-10) are underdogs against the Pistons (24-8) on Tuesday, even though they're at home. It's also LeBron James' 41st birthday, so it's a big game.

LUKE LITTLER BLASTS "DISRESPECTFUL" ALLY PALLY CROWD AFTER TENSE ROB CROSS VICTORY

Luke Littler sparked controversy at Ally Pally by mocking fans' ticket purchases after being booed during his win over Rob Cross.

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Littler Fires Back At Booing Fans

Luke Littler got booed during his match with Rob Cross this Monday at the World Darts Championship, and he fired back at the crowd. The 18-year-old wrapped up a 4-2 win against his rival to get to the quarter-finals.

Littler became a fan favorite after his unlikely run to the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace two years back, when he was only 16. But some folks in north London on Monday seemed tired of his success and tried to rattle the teen in an attempt to make the match last. And he didn’t deal with the boos well.

Right after his win, Littler told the crowd, "I'm not bothered [by the booing]." Really not bothered. You guys pay for tickets, and you pay for my prize, so thanks for booing me. No one wanted me to win, but I proved them wrong yet again.”

Then, during the press conference afterwards, he walked it back, saying, “I think I lost it (his temper). I think it's still on there (the stage). The fans have done what they've done, and I've reacted as any other player would, really.”

Usually, Littler gets a lot of love from the Ally Pally crowd; a lot of fans have started watching darts just because of how fast he rose to fame at the end of 2023. But now this talented player may have caused himself a new issue with his outburst.

Some darts fans won't like that he mentioned how much money he's making during this World Championship season.

Others might think he should've taken the boos with a smile. People at Ally Pally are usually loud as hell whenever they're there.

And some will feel Littler showed he can be rattled by a few shouts.

No matter what darts fans think, Littler didn't do himself any favors with what he said on stage. He needs to get the fans back on his side so they don't turn on him for good.

If he doesn’t, fans might make things rough on him every time he plays, which is new territory for the teenager.

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