R Praggnanandhaa described his Norway Chess triumph as the biggest achievement of his career, emphasising that defeating some of the world’s strongest players – including the great Magnus Carlsen – made the title particularly memorable.

He said the event’s extraordinary strength, with one of the highest average ratings ever assembled in a tournament, added even greater weight to his victory.

Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win Norway Chess since the tournament’s inception in 2013, capping off a landmark campaign by defeating world No. 1 and seven-time champion Carlsen twice — a rare feat against one of the game’s greatest players.

His triumph came in an exceptionally strong field, with all six players in the ‘Open’ section rated above 2700 and Carlsen leading the pack at 2840, adding further lustre to the title.

“I think this is like (the biggest win of my career)…also stronger in terms of like average rating. I think, because you have like some 2600s (rating) in Wijk Aan Zee (Tata Steel Chess tournament). But here it’s just the top players,” said Praggnanandhaa after his final-round win over Vincent Keymer, which took him to 18 points and held off challenges from USA’s Wesley So and France’s Alireza Firouzja.

“So, yeah, winning this is more special and also like adding to it, Magnus was there… also winning four (games) in a row. So, certainly this will come like top,” said Praggnanandhaa, whose previous biggest triumph came at the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.

Even as Praggnanandhaa focused on his game against Keymer, his attention would have occasionally drifted to the other board, where So faced Alireza — a classical win for the American would have denied him the title.

The draw in that encounter proved decisive, sending the match into an Armageddon tie-break, where So could only secure 1.5 points, sealing the championship for the Indian.

“I was happy that like it (So vs Alireza match) was a draw and like, I mean, I just had to win, but still I had to win (against Keymer),” he said.

Praggnanandhaa said that after the initial setbacks in the tournament, nothing fundamentally changed in his approach, which eventually led to four consecutive wins and helped him clinch the title.

He added that a key adjustment was a conscious effort to avoid time trouble and play faster, more controlled chess throughout the run-in.

“I don’t, like I said, think there is anything particular I change, but this conscious effort of playing faster was certainly, I think, helped in my games. I had more time than my opponents in most of the games.” 
Looking ahead to the coming months, the young Indian Grandmaster said he plans to play fewer tournaments than last year to better manage his schedule and workload. However, he confirmed he will feature at the World Rapid Team Championship for Chess Gurukul, scheduled from June 16-22 in Hong Kong.

“I mean, most of the players playing here are going to be there (for World Rapid and Blitz Team) and it’s going to start in 10 days. But for now, I don’t think I’ll, I’ll look at any chess for a bit.” 
Asked whether defeating Carlsen twice in the same tournament was a big deal, he said he was ultimately pleased to have won the event itself — especially considering it featured a player of the Norwegian’s calibre.

“Winning the (matches against Carlsen), I mean, he helped in winning the tournament, so it’s still, I think every point counts here. Yeah, I mean, I’m overall happy that I managed to come back like this (from a poor start). For me, it’s more special that I won a tournament, especially when Magnus is here.” 
He said the Superbet Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest (May 14-23), from where he flew straight to Oslo for Norway Chess and arrived on the eve of the tournament, had a positive impact as it served as valuable warm-up ahead of the challenge here.

“I guess maybe like we were warmed up (for Norway Chess after playing in Bucharest)… So, like, I think we were looking forward to playing here. So, yeah, maybe we were more warmed up, but I don’t know.

The BCCI selection committee, led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, on Saturday announced India’s 15-member squad for the Asian Games 2026. However, unlike the 2022 Asian Games, where India sent a second-string squad, they have decided to send a full-strength squad for the tournament.

India’s newly appointed T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer will lead the side in the multi-nation event, with Tilak Varma serving as his deputy.

India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested for India’s upcoming T20I tours of Ireland and England, made his return to the Asian Games squad, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also made the cut.

India’s squad for the Asian Games 2026:

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jasprit Bumrah.

Big names missing

India’s squad for the Asian Games 2026 will have some big names missing, with the likes of Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal and last edition’s winning captain Ruturaj Gaikwad failing to make the cut.

Apart from them, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill are also among the notable absentees from India’s 15-member squad.

Multiple names return

While there are some big names missing out, there are plenty of players who are set to feature in their second consecutive Asian Games.

Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar, who were part of India’s gold medal-winning squad at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will return for their second appearance at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

How India won gold at the Asian Games 2022

India won the gold medal in men’s cricket at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Entering the tournament directly at the quarter-final stage as one of the highest-ranked teams, India began their campaign with a 23-run victory over Nepal after posting 202/4, powered by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s century. In the semi-final, India produced a dominant all-round display to defeat Bangladesh by nine wickets, chasing down 97 in just 9.2 overs.

The final against Afghanistan was heavily affected by rain. Afghanistan managed 112/5 in 18.2 overs before the match was abandoned.

As India were the higher-seeded team based on ICC T20I rankings, they were awarded the gold medal, securing their maiden men’s cricket title at the Asian Games.

Bernadeth Pons, right, and Sisi Rondina during a quarterfinal match against Australia’s Jasmine Fleming and Elizabeth Achin in the AVC Beach Tour in Chinese Taipei.–AVC Beach Tour Photo

MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball pair Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons earned a shot at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour Pingtung Open crown.

Rondina and Pons continued their amazing run with a 21-17, 26-24 win over Thailand’s Kongphopsarutawadee Worapeerachayakorn and Taravadee Naraphornrapat in the semifinal on Saturday in Chinese Taipei.

The Alas duo asserted its mastery of the Thailand team, replicating their win in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games final, where they earned a historic breakthrough gold medal.

READ: Rondina, Pons skip PVL on Tour to prepare for Asian Games

Pons and Rondina take on Australia’s Olympian Taliqua Clancy and Stefie Fejes in the final on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier, they took down Jasmine Fleming and Elizabeth Achin of Australia, 21-18, 33-31, in the quarterfinal.

Rondina and Pons are currently on a break from PVL, focusing on their road to the Asian Games in Japan in September.

Paris Saint-Germain players are due to receive a heroes’ welcome this Sunday in Paris after winning their second consecutive Champions League trophy. Post-match celebrations brought some 20,000 fans to the Champs-Elysées, with police making more than 400 arrests when festivities nationwide became chaotic. Some commentators say the victory confirms PSG as one of the greatest clubs in football history. Does Eurosport journalist Ruben Slagter agree?

Michael Carrick was appointed the permanent head coach of Man United prior to the victory over Brighton on the final day of the season

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has backed the decision to appoint Michael Carrick as the club’s permanent head coach. Carrick returned to Old Trafford in January on an initial temporary contract after Ruben Amorim was sacked following his infamous press conference at Leeds.

Under Carrick, the Reds enjoyed an instant new manager boost, winning six of his opening seven matches in charge. United would go on to lose just twice as they secured a return to the Champions League with a 3-2 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Ahead of the final match of the season at Brighton, the Reds confirmed Carrick would be staying as the club’s permanent head coach. This will be Carrick’s second permanent job as a head coach.

Pogba played alongside Carrick during his second stint at United and was part of the squad when Carrick took up his first coaching role at Old Trafford.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the Frenchman was asked about Carrick’s appointment. “I think he’s doing a great job and he did it also at the time when he was the assistant of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer,” Pogba responded.

“He’s a great guy, he has experience, he was a great player, and he has a very good connection with the players, you could see it when he took the team. I think it’s going to be good for United. I wish them the best, obviously, for him and all the staff and the players.”

Pogba’s United career did not play out as anyone had hoped. He would leave on a free transfer in 2022 and return to Juventus. But in 2023, the midfielder tested positive for DHEA – a drug that raises the levels of testosterone in the body. Pogba denied intentionally taking the drug but was still handed an initial four-year ban in February 2024.

On appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), this was reduced to 18 months. During the October hearing, the CAS agreed there was a lack of intent and Pogba was eligible to play professionally from March 2025.

Since leaving Juventus at the start of 2025, Pogba has signed for AS Monaco. However, he made just six appearances for the Ligue 1 club this season after suffering yet more injuries.

Anime Astral Simulator is all about improving your character’s stats to fight enemies across several worlds. Doujutsus are akin to special abilities that increase your character’s Power multiplier, helping you gain ranks swiftly. The Doujutsu gacha can be accessed from the first world, Ninja Village, but it is only usable after collecting Doujutsu Tokens dropped by enemies.

Here’s how you can roll for Doujutsus to drastically increase your Power multiplier in Anime Astral Simulator.

How to reroll Doujutsu in Anime Astral Simulator

The Doujutsu NPC in Ninja Village lets you access the Doujutsu gacha. After teleporting to the starter world, head straight towards the red archway and turn left to find this character. Step inside the circle appearing from the NPC to roll for a Doujutsu by utilizing tokens.

It is also possible to access the gacha from any location in the in-game world. Open the Teleport menu and press the red circle icon below the Ninja Village to make the Doujutsu gacha appear on the screen.

All Doujutsus in Anime Astral Simulator

Similar to Swords in Anime Astral Simulator, the Doujutsus are divided into Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, and Secret in the ascending order of rarity. The higher one’s rarity, the lower is its roll chance.

Rolling a Doujutsu costs 10 Doujutsu Tokens. You can earn this currency by defeating enemies in Ninja Village as well as the Time Trials.

It is worth noting the Legendary Pity meter at the bottom of the Doujutsu menu. On your 99th reroll, the pity ensures that you get a Legendary-rarity Doujutsu. The pity meter drops to 0 once you get a Legendary from the gacha, though.

Each Doujutsu, along with its rarity, roll chance, and offered buffs, is mentioned in the following list:

RinneSharigan and Kokugan are the only abilities that don’t have specific drop rates. Kokugan is much rarer than the RinneSharigan, and since it is the current best Doujutsu, acquiring it should be a goal throughout the gameplay.

How to get Doujutsu Tokens in Anime Astral Simulator

There are three ways to get Doujutsu Tokens:

• Time Trials: Enemies in the Time Trials have a decent chance of dropping Doujutsu Tokens after being defeated. You can access Time Trials with friends and other players in the server from the Lobby Arena.
• Ninja Village enemies: Most of the enemies in Ninja Village, the starter world, have a high chance of dropping Doujutsu Tokens. Increase your Power and Damage to beat them and consistently gain tokens.
• Exchange shop: In the Exchange shop, you can use Exchange Tokens to obtain Doujutsu Tokens. A single Exchange Token acquired from Time Trials converts to 10 Doujutsu Tokens.

The best way to get these tokens is by clearing all the rounds in the Easy Time Trial. You can earn more than 1000 Doujutsu Tokens from the bosses and regular enemies, along with other important items like Range Shards, Sword Tokens, and Trial Shards.

Also check: Latest Anime Astral Simulator codes

FAQs on Anime Astral Simulator

Where is the Doujutsu NPC?

The Doujutsu NPC is located in Ninja Village.

How many Doujutsu Tokens are needed to roll a Doujutsu?

You must have 10 Doujutsu Tokens to roll a Doujutsu in the game.

What is the best Doujutsu?

Kokugan is currently the best Doujutsu (15x Power multiplier).