India’s grandmaster (GM) R Praggnanandhaa, (PTI Photo)

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa produced a remarkable turnaround against Fabiano Caruana to win the Grand Chess Tour Finals and secure the biggest title of his career in St. Louis on Thursday (local time).Praggnanandhaa overturned a six-point deficit at the start of the day, winning both rapid games against Caruana before holding his nerve in the blitz section to seal a 15-13 victory.The triumph also saw Praggnanandhaa create history. He became the first Indian player to win the Grand Chess Tour.The victory earned the young grandmaster the $200,000 first prize.

Praggnanandhaa erases six-point deficit

Caruana entered the final day with a commanding six-point advantage after the classical games. Praggnanandhaa, however, came out firing in the rapid section and won both games to completely change the complexion of the contest.With the momentum firmly on his side, the Indian needed to navigate the four-game blitz phase without surrendering his lead.The opening blitz encounter nearly went against Praggnanandhaa. He had winning chances but blundered during a time scramble, allowing his position to deteriorate. Caruana could not find the winning continuation, and the game eventually ended in a draw.Praggnanandhaa then managed to keep the match level in blitz and completed his comeback with a 15-13 aggregate victory.

Caruana had taken early control

The final had initially looked heavily tilted in Caruana’s favour.Praggnanandhaa lost the first classical game 6-0, leaving himself with a significant deficit heading into the remainder of the contest.He responded in the second classical game by holding Caruana to a 3-3 draw. Although the result meant Caruana still carried a six-point advantage into the final day, Praggnanandhaa’s comeback in the rapid games changed everything.

Wesley So finishes third

GM Wesley So also produced an impressive comeback in the third-place match against GM Vincent Keymer.The two players split the rapid games, trading victories before So took complete control in blitz.So won all four blitz games to clinch the match with one game still remaining, sealing an 18-12 victory over Keymer.Praggnanandhaa’s victory, meanwhile, marked a landmark moment for Indian chess as he became the country’s first Grand Chess Tour champion.

Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox both scored fifties as England recovered from a top-order collapse against Pakistan to 248-9 when bad light ended Thursday’s opening day of the second Test at Lord’s. Veteran paceman Mohammad Abbas took three wickets for four runs in 16 balls, including the prize scalp of England captain Joe Root for just four, as the hosts slumped to 36-3 after Pakistan won the toss in helpful conditions for seam bowling. But Smith’s 61 and 55 from Cox — his second fifty in successive Test innings — got England back into the game and turned attention away from the late-night drinking incident that saw fast bowler Brydon Carse dropped from their squad. Abbas had fine figures of 4-56 in 15 overs and fellow seamer Mohammad Ali 3-67 in 17 when the umpires ruled it was unsafe to continue despite the floodlights illuminating the ground.

Pakistan were woeful in all departments during an innings and 103-run defeat in the first of a three-Test series at Headingley last week.

They did, however, have the worst of the conditions after losing the toss before being dismissed for meagre totals of 171 and 135.

It was a different story in London, with Pakistan captain Babar Azam, the only change to either side as he returned from a finger injury in place of stand-in skipper Salman Ali Agha, opting to field on a green-tinged pitch under grey skies following a rain delay.

Fine fielding

Abbas, who has had stints with several English counties, was soon into his stride on a ground where he was named player of the match after taking eight wickets in Pakistan’s victory in their last Test at Lord’s in 2018.

The 36-year-old was fortunate, however, when Emilio Gay glanced a legside ball only for diving wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan to hold an excellent one-handed catch.

Ben Duckett fell for 17 when lbw to an Abbas nip-backer.

Medium-pace bowling with the ‘keeper standing up to the stumps has plagued England in recent times and Rizwan was up to the wicket when Abbas pinned Root on the back leg.

Harry Brook was then bowled for 15 by a superb Ali delivery that jagged back, with England 80-4 at lunch.

Dan Lawrence had made 10 when he flicked to midwicket only for Shan Masood to drop a seemingly routine catch.

Pakistan’s fielding was also poor as they tumbled to the bottom of the World Test Championship table with defeat in Leeds.

But when Lawrence turned spinner Ali Usman legside and set off for a non-existent single, only to be sent back by Cox, he was run out by Masood’s accurate throw from mid-wicket to Rizwan.

Cox, however, struck consecutive legside boundaries off Usman to complete an 88-ball fifty including seven fours. 

His partnership of 67 with Smith ended when substitute fielder Agha, belying Pakistan’s deserved reputation as a poor fielding side, held a superb slip catch off Khurram Shahzad.

Smith, whose fifty came from a mere 63 balls, was clean bowled by Ali and two balls later the paceman dismissed tailender Ollie Robinson with another nip-backer.

Jofra Archer launched Abbas for a straight six before the bowler had his revenge, with Gus Atkinson — who has a Test century at Lord’s to his credit — a useful 34 not out at stumps.

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Both Gervonta Davis and Vasily Lomachenko are planning on making their ring returns in the coming months and could possibly collide down the line, and four-division world champion Mikey Garcia has laid out his prediction for that potential scrap.

Davis and ‘Loma’ have been linked to a clash for a number of years, with both men deemed to be the standout players in the lightweight scene for quite some time, but Lomachenko’s retirement last June seemed to end all hope of that encounter taking place.

Meanwhile, ‘Tank’ Davis has not fought since March 2025, with external legal issues leading to an extended stint away from the ring, but it seems as though the three-division world champion is targeting a comeback either at the end of the year or in early 2027.

As for Lomachenko, the Ukrainian has also unveiled his plans to fight again, as he hopes to finally achieve his dream of becoming an undisputed champion, with a route to accomplishing that feat now becoming clear at super-featherweight.

Consequently, Davis-Lomachenko may soon emerge as a possibility once again and in an interview with About Boxing, Garcia assessed the pros and cons of both fighters.

“That’s a good match-up. Look, if we get a Lomachenko versus Davis fight at 135, the best of each other, I want to say Lomachenko [wins]. At his best, nobody beats him, with the skills, the footwork, everything.

“But then, I see Tank and he has got the power, man, and he has got the IQ to be patient and to look for the right openings and then one shot and it is over. 

“But, are we going to see that? Are we going to see the same Lomachenko? Even though I believe that the rest, the one year layoff could have helped, he is also getting older in age. Even though that break might help him reignite that fire and the passion, can the age be a factor?

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“All of these things are different variables that will be answered on the night of the fight, I guess, but I would definitely love to see that match-up because, at their best, both of them are probably the best in the division.” 

First, Lomachenko will likely fight Charly Suarez upon his return, after Suarez’s mandatory challenge for Emanuel Navarrete’s unified world titles was rejigged in favour of a three-belt unification with O’Shaquie Foster. 

Since Justin Jefferson entered the league in 2020, the Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver has been collecting records, milestones, and accolades. The 2026 season offers the potential for further glory, including a rather unique record he can break without too much difficulty.

Justin Jefferson Has the Chance for Unique Milestone in 2026

There is very little that Jefferson hasn’t done from an individual standpoint in his career. He is one of the league’s star players and plays in a very good receiving corps in Minnesota.

In his first six seasons, Jefferson has been the Offensive Player of the Year, a first- and second-team All-Pro, a multi-time Pro Bowler, and the NFL receptions and receiving yards leader. He has broken the receiving yards record for the number of yards after each season of a player’s career or age ever since he’s been in the league. To this point whatever records have been out in front of him, Jefferson has broken and the records will probably keep coming.

This year there is the chance for an unusual one when the Vikings head to Mexico City to take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11. Jefferson is closing in on the unique milestone of becoming the first player in NFL history to reach 500 career receiving yards on foreign soil. He needs just 12 more receiving yards and assuming he is healthy and he plays in Week 11, you would expect him to achieve it.

Jefferson has only managed less than 12 yards twice in his career. Both of those occasions occurred last season in back-to-back games – one with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback and Max Brosmer throwing the passes in the other.

Jefferson’s History on Foreign Soil

Jefferson has played on foreign soil on four previous occasions and has a total of 488 receiving yards from those four outings. That’s an impressive 122 receiving yards per game. Three of those games were in London in a winning effort, while the other game was a loss in Dublin last year. A trip to Mexico City will be a first for Jefferson and the Vikings.

Here are the stat lines for Jefferson’s four previous games on foreign soil.

2022 – Week 4 vs New Orleans Saints @ Tottenham Stadium, England – 10 catches for 147 yards.

2024 – Week 5 vs New York Jets @ Tottenham Stadium, England – 6 catches for 92 yards.

2025 – Week 4 vs Pittsburgh Steelers @ Croke Park, Republic of Ireland – 10 catches for 126 yards.

2025 – Week 5 vs Cleveland Browns @ Tottenham Stadium, England – 7 catches for 123 yards. 

It’s an impressive resume with Jefferson never having an off day in an international game. As one of the star attractions for the international fans that turn up, he has never disappointed.

If he does it again he will smash through that 500 receiving yards barrier and claim another (and this time unique) receiving record to add to his collection. Even if he has a quiet day he is probably going to break the record with the Vikings hoping for a more consistent offense with Kyler Murray as the new quarterback in Minnesota.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

Tour Championship – first round

-8 MW Lee (Aus); -6 V Hovland (Nor), C Morikawa (US), C Gotterup (US); -5 R Gerard (US), A Bhatia (US), L Aberg (Swe), S Scheffler (US)

Selected others: -4 T Fleetwood (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), R Fox (NZ); -3 R MacIntyre (Sco), W Clark (US); -2 J Rose (Eng), A Fitzpatrick (Eng), R McIlroy (NI)

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Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood shot a four-under 66 to put himself in contention, four strokes off first-round leader Min Woo Lee at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

However, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy endured a mixed start in his bid to win a record-extending fourth Fedex Cup, bogeying two of the first four holes before fighting back on the back nine to sign for a 68.

Lee, who won last month’s Scottish Open, carded a bogey-free 62 to set the pace at eight under as he equalled his best ever round on the PGA Tour in its season-ending event at East Lake.

Australia’s Lee is two strokes clear of Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who triumphed in 2023, and American duo Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup.

It was a fine display from Lee, who was second from last in the BMW Championship a week ago and found himself without a partner for most of the day, with JJ Spaun withdrawing through injury after four holes.

“It was a little strange at first, just like looking for a playing partner and you’re just there by yourself,” said Lee.

“It was more just maintaining speeds and not rushing because I would just catch the group in front and wait. So I had to just slow down a little bit. It worked out.”

Ominously, world number one Scottie Scheffler ended his round with a birdie on the 18th to sit at five under, with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick in the mix at four under after also making a birdie four on the concluding hole.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre is at three under, with the highlight of his day arriving on the sixth hole when he rolled in a putt from over 30 feet for an eagle.

England’s Justin Rose and Alex Fitzpatrick both signed for rounds of 68 on a day when none of the 29 players in the field to complete the round went over par.

The winner on Sunday will take home the Fedex Cup and a $10m (£7.4m) prize.

Former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah used to say that his phone was always charged. Is the same true of Nolan Teasley?

Presumably, the Vikings’ front office is in the process of listening and pitching. Smart teams are rewarded when they’re curious and open for business. Every so often, a good opportunity arises and the team decides to take the plunge. Maybe that means a swap gets pulled off at some point in the coming days. The Vikings must be having at least some discussion behind the scenes.

The Vikings’ Front Office & The Trade Trend Around the NFL

Pulling up the NFL’s transaction page and then toggling for trades means seeing several get across the finish line already:

• Caedan Wallace (NE/MIA)
• Daniel Faalele (NYG/JAX)
• Jaylen Reed (HOU/NE)
• Kayshon Boutte (NE/HOU)
• Deion Jones (NO/SF)
• Zamir White (SF/NO)
• Joshua Ezeuda (NYG/KC)
• Jarquez Hunter (LAR/MIA)
• Tutu Atwell (MIA/LAR)

None of the above names are game-breaking stars in the NFL. However, the point is that teams are already getting ahead of the sticks as it relates to player movement. Sometimes, that has involved setting guys free, such as the Colts showing Mekhi Blackmon the door with a cut.

A couple days ago, Kevin Patra chatted about the roster movement that’s coming.

“With clubs going from 90-man rosters to an initial 53-man crew, roughly 1,184 players will lose their jobs before Sunday’s cut-down deadline,” Patra explains. “Yes, each team will bring back players to the practice squad, and others will be re-signed over the next few weeks as IR spots are used. However, for a large chunk of players, this is the end of the line in 2026.”

Continuing to move through the piece means seeing some teams with a player(s) included into the speculation, such as J.J. McCarthy for the Vikings.

Consider that the Raiders have Aidan O’Connell included: “AOC should be a trade target for a team in need of a backup QB with starting experience. With no direct path to playing time with the additions of veteran Kirk Cousins and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza, O’Connell’s time in Vegas should be coming to a close.” Do the Vikings need to upgrade at QB3?

Or, perhaps, does the Anthony Richardson swap finally occur? What about Chicago moving off of Garrett Bradbury after the addition of Logan Jones in the 2026 NFL Draft?

The Vikings’ end of things could involve some mixture of buying and selling.

Offloading Jonathan Greenard means having an extra 3rd for next year. Better yet, there’s likely going to be a compensatory pick added due to the loss of Jalen Nailor. There’s then a pile of free agents moving into the final year on their deals in Minnesota, meaning 2028 looks like a strong bet for some added compensatory help.

Tossing some added talent into the edge rusher crew and/or the center spot could make a lot of sense. Maybe another arm gets added and the run game could still get tweaked. What about safety?

According to Over the Cap, the Vikings are sitting atop roughly $22 million in cap space. Partner that open room with a reasonably rotund helping of draft picks and there are going to be some options, especially since some players on the rostrer could reasonably attract attention on the trade market.

Does the emergence of Jacob Roberts and Bangally Kamara make a LB trade possible? The Vikings could bump up one of those guys while offloading somebody higher on the depth chart.

Many can quibble with the wisdom of trying to compete in 2026 rather than rebuilding, but the Vikings aren’t throwing in the towel. Instead, the plan is to get into the playoffs and make noise once there. All that needs to be determined is whether the team is actually good enough to achieve those goals.

The Vikings’ front office has a lot of work to do in the coming days. Quite possibly, that work will lead to a trade(s) getting across the finish line.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Liverpool are still pursuing Ismaila Sarr, despite seeing an initial offer of around £50m rejected by Crystal Palace.

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola wants to bring in three more players before the end of the transfer window, including two who can operate in wide positions. One of those will be France winger Bradley Barcola, after PSG accepted an offer of £100m plus £20m in potential add-ons for the 23-year-old.

And while Liverpool have moved on from Yankuba Minteh following Brighton’s resistance, The Independent understands the club are not yet discouraged from a deal to bring in Sarr.

The 28-year-old Senegal international is comfortable playing on the right wing, a crucial area of the field for Liverpool to strengthen following the summer exit of Mohamed Salah.

If Liverpool bring in their targets then Cody Gakpo could still depart before the deadline on Tuesday. Gakpo has been the subject of interest from Tottenham, and The Independent understands Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi is insistent that the club pursue the Dutchman, despite a summer outlay already in excess of £300m.

Asked on Thursday about Gakpo’s future, Iraola said: “When the market is open, you cannot guarantee anything with anyone.”

Canelo Alvarez is planning on regaining his WBC super-middleweight world title when he returns to action against Christian Mbilli in October, and one of the Mexican superstar’s former sparring partners has offered his verdict on the bout.

Canelo lost the undisputed super-middleweight crown to Terence Crawford last September, only for Crawford’s retirement to lead to the vacation of all four straps and see Mbilli elevated to full WBC world champion.

Canelo was sidelined by an injury to his right elbow in that scrap and underwent surgery earlier this year, but secured his spot in a challenge for his old belt as Mbilli agreed to a lucrative fight offer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to Sean Zittel, Yoenli Hernandez, who sparred Alvarez ahead of his showdown with Crawford, declared his belief that Canelo will come out on top against Mbilli and return to the 168lb throne.

“Yes, definitely [he has enough left to beat Mbilli], when he is in that training camp he focuses in on and makes sure that he is ready for his guy.

“He still has a lot in the tank, so that should be an interesting fight but I see Canelo winning.”

Canelo-Mbilli is scheduled to go ahead on Saturday, October 31st, where he will top a ‘Mexico vs. The World’ themed bill, which is already set to feature one additional world title contest, with others expected to be added soon.

Meanwhile, Hernandez defeated Francisco Daniel Veron in a career-best success on Saturday and the Cuban is set to be mandated for a shot at Denzel Bentley’s WBO middleweight title, although Bentley will be permitted one voluntary defence before that fight is enforced.

Shakur Stevenson has shunned a move up to welterweight this year, but one man who could be able tempt him up to 147lbs is legendary eight-division world champion, Manny Pacquiao. Now, former opponent, Teofimo Lopez, has offered his thoughts on a potential fight between the pair.

Pacquiao was being linked to a professional rematch with Floyd Mayweather and then a surprise shot at Liam Paro’s IBF welterweight world title, where a win would have seen ‘Pac Man’ break his own record as the oldest 147lb champion of all time.

However, it seems as though both of those opportunities are no longer available, with Mayweather tied up in legal issues and Paro moving on to a potential unification with Devin Haney or an all-Australian bout with George Kambosos Jnr.

As a result, with both Stevenson and Pacquiao currently looking for an opponent, rumours have began to emerge suggesting that the two could collide.

When asked about the match-up by Ariel Helwani, Lopez stated that he believes Pacquiao still ‘has enough in the tank to give Stevenson a good fight’.

“[That is] not bad, no. Two southpaws. Manny looked great when he fought [Mario] Barrios. I believe that he should have won that. It should have been Ryan [Garcia] vs. Manny Pacquiao for the WBC Teofimo Lopez delivers verdict on potential Manny Pacquiao vs Shakur Stevenson fight.

“It’s a great technical fight, I think that Pacquiao still has enough in the tank to give him a tough fight, if that’s the case and they do meet in the ring.”

Stevenson has recently signed with Zuffa Boxing and has also been mentioned for a clash with fellow super-lightweight world champion, Gary Antuanne Russell, in recent weeks.