Legendary Garry Kasparov once described India’s young chess stars as “Vishy’s children on the loose.” Today, that phenomenon extends well beyond India’s borders. When the 112th British Chess Championships begin in Coventry on Saturday, one of the leading contenders will be 11-year-old WIM Bodhana Sivanandan. Representing England, the daughter of Indian-origin parents starts the tournament as the favourite for the British Women’s Championship with several milestones within reach.

Bodhana has already broken age records at the event. At last year’s championships in Liverpool, she became the youngest girl to defeat a grandmaster. Earlier this year, she became the youngest girl to beat a grandmaster rated above 2600, adding another landmark to a career that has advanced rapidly over the past two seasons.

Coventry offers another opportunity.

A strong performance would earn Bodhana the final norm required for the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, making her the youngest British player to achieve it. She is also the favourite to win the British Women’s Championship. A victory here would make her the youngest champion in the event’s history, breaking a record that has stood since 1939.

She also has a chance to finish the week as Britain’s top-rated female player.

Bodhana begins the tournament with a FIDE rating of 2303, five points behind WGM Lan Yao, England’s highest-rated woman. A strong result over nine rounds could move her to the top of the national rankings.

Her progress has been marked by consistency as much as individual results. Rather than relying on a single breakthrough performance, she has continued to improve against stronger opposition and has added major milestones almost every season.

The Open championship will include several established grandmasters as well as another Indian-origin player, teenage GM Shreyas Royal, who is among the title contenders.

Even so, much of the attention in Coventry is expected to centre on Bodhana and the records she could break.

Her rise also reflects the growing influence of India’s chess culture beyond the country itself.

Although Bodhana represents England, she belongs to the generation that has emerged after Viswanathan Anand’s success and during the rise of world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

India’s strength in junior chess has also had an impact in Britain, where players from Indian families have become a regular presence in national age-group competitions. That trend was evident at last year’s British Championships, with players of Indian origin featuring prominently across the junior sections.

If Bodhana wins the British Women’s title, she will become the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. It would add another record to a career that continues to develop at an unusually early age while highlighting the wider influence of India’s chess boom on the international game.

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Spain’s Royal Family Welcomes World Cup Champions To Zarzuela Palace

Europe’s football associations have voted to boycott the next World Cup following the announcement by FIFA to seek private investment for the tournament. FIFA is currently offering 40 million dollars to each country that backs its project. Associations across the world have said that they weren’t aware of any of the plans for the not-for-profit organisation to seek private investment.

Victor Montagliani (Concacaf president)

Like Infantino, he was elected in 2016 promising governance reform. A former president of Canada Soccer, as co-chair, Montagliani was heavily involved in the build up to, and delivery of the 2026 World Cup, the first to be hosted by three nations. He is fluent in French, Italian and Spanish, as well as English.

Explaining his decision to run for the Concacaf presidency, Montagliani told the BC Business website: “Like anything, when I decide to go, I go. I campaigned on my own dime for three months, went to see all 41 countries, from the US to Bonaire, a little island off Venezuela.”

Montagliani took the lead when Concacaf hosted an expanded Copa America in 2024 – in an interview with BBC Sport he rejected the idea it could become a regular occurrence. Politically strong, he smoothed relations around Arsene Wenger’s attempt to gain support for a World Cup every two years and has never truly bought into the idea of a 64-team World Cup.

At the Leaders conference in 2025, he outlined why he felt football was strong enough to ride out any storm.

“The game is bigger than world current leaders,” he said. “Football will survive regimes. Does it cause a headache? Of course. You have to be realistic about that. That is the beauty of our game, it is bigger than any individual and country.”

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (AFC president)

Initially elected in 2013, he was elected unopposed for a fourth term to run to 2027.

The Bahraini has presided over significant growth within the Asian confederation, through the Champions League Elite, Champions League Two, the Challenge League and the Women’s Champions League, which was launched in 2024-25. The Asian Cup has been expanded to 24 teams.

Sheikh Salman signed off the brutal takedown of how Fifa is being run by Infantino and has carried with him a 46-member confederation, many of whom are aware the figures being offered by Infantino’s plan are huge in terms of their overall football expenditure.

Neeraj Chopra at CWG 2026 Free Live Telecast© Getty

ATHLETICS

2:35 p.m. – Men’s Decathlon 110m Hurdles – Tejaswin Shankar

3:20 p.m. – Men’s Decathlon Discus Throw – Tejaswin Shankar

4:05 p.m. – Mixed 4x400m Relay (Round 1, Heat 2) – Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh, Rashdeep Kaur, Ansa Babu, Neeru Pathak

5 p.m. – Men’s Decathlon Pole Vault – Tejaswin Shankar

11:30 p.m. – Men’s Decathlon Javelin Throw – Tejaswin Shankar

12:45 a.m. (August 1) – Men’s Javelin Throw Final (medal event) – Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav, Yash Vir Singh

1:05 a.m. (August 1) – Men’s Decathlon 1500m (final event) – Tejaswin Shankar

1:30 a.m. (August 1) – Men’s 400m Hurdles Final (medal event) – Yashas Palaksha, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan

BOXING

3:15 p.m. – Women’s 54kg Semifinals – Preeti Pawar vs Catherine Mwape (Zambia)

4:30 p.m. – Men’s 80kg Semifinals – Ankush Panghal vs Joshua Ofori (Canada)

7:15 p.m. – Women’s 57kg Semifinals – Jaismine Lamboria vs Rapelang Maselela (Lesotho)

7:30 p.m. – Women’s 70kg Semifinals – Arundhati Choudhary vs Rosie Eccles (Wales)

8:15 p.m. – Men’s 55kg Semifinals – Jadumani Singh Mandengbam vs Philip Haoseb (Namibia)

11:30 p.m. – Women’s 51kg Semifinals – Sakshi Chaudhary vs Amber-Jane Wall (Canada)

12:15 a.m. (August 1) – Women’s 60kg Semifinals – Priya Ghanghas vs Lucy Kings-Wheatley (England)

12:45 a.m. (August 1) – Women’s 75kg Semifinals – Lovlina Borgohain vs Tarona Taafaki (Tuvalu)

1 a.m. (August 1) – Men’s 60kg Semifinals – Sachin Siwach vs Owain Harris-Allan (Wales)

1:30 a.m. (August 1) – Men’s 90kg Semifinals – Narender Berwal vs Nigel Paul (Trinidad and Tobago)

JUDO

3:30 p.m. onwards – Men’s -60kg, Round of 16 – Harsh Singh vs Chikondi Kathewera (Malawi)

3:30 p.m. onwards – Women’s -52kg, Round of 16 – Shraddha Chopade vs Jane Massaquoi (Sierra Leone)

3:30 p.m. onwards – Men’s -66kg, Round of 16 – Rohit Majgul vs Samuel Ribeiro (Mozambique)

3:30 p.m. onwards – Women’s -48kg, Quarterfinal – Asmita Dey vs Eva Ewing (Scotland)

3:30 p.m. onwards – Women’s -57kg, Quarterfinal – Yamini Mourya vs TBD (to be decided)

8:30 p.m. onwards – Women’s -48kg, Medal Rounds – Asmita Dey (subject to qualification)

8:30 p.m. onwards – Men’s -60kg, Medal Rounds – Harsh Singh (subject to qualification)

8:30 p.m. onwards – Women’s -52kg, Medal Rounds – Shraddha Chopade (subject to qualification)

8:30 p.m. onwards – Men’s -66kg, Medal Rounds – Rohit Majgul (subject to qualification)

8:30 p.m. onwards – Women’s -57kg, Medal Rounds – Yamini Mourya (subject to qualification)

BOWLS

5:15 p.m. – Men’s Pairs Sectional Play, Section B Round 4 – India (Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Singh) vs Falkland Islands (Ian Barnes and Oliver Thompson)

10:20 p.m. – Women’s Singles Sectional Play, Section C Round 4 – Nayanmoni Saikia vs Mildred Mkandawire (Zambia)

TRACK CYCLING

5:21 p.m. – Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit, Qualification – Dinesh Kumar, Harshveer Singh Sekhon

8:30 p.m. – Men’s Keirin, First Round – Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam (Heat 1), David Beckham Elkatohchoongo (Heat 3), Jemsh Keithellakpam (Heat 4)

9:17 p.m. – Men’s Keirin, First Round Repechages – Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Keithellakpam (subject to qualification)

10:46 p.m. – Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit, Finals (Bronze) – Dinesh Kumar, Harshveer Singh Sekhon (subject to qualification)

10:53 p.m. – Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit, Finals (Gold) – Dinesh Kumar, Harshveer Singh Sekhon (subject to qualification)

11:01 p.m. – Men’s Keirin, Second Round – Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Keithellakpam (subject to qualification)

11:43 p.m. – Men’s Keirin, Finals 7-12 – Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Keithellakpam (subject to qualification)

11:48 p.m. – Men’s Keirin, Finals 1-6 – Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Keithellakpam (subject to qualification)

11:53 p.m. – Men’s Elimination Race Final (medal event) – Harshveer Singh Sekhon

Neeraj Chopra provided a candid explanation on why he managed to throw just 79.61m in the javelin throw qualifying round:

“Conditions are not best for javelin throwers. Not only cold, but it’s really windy. The wind was also not in the front; sometimes it’s from the side. It’s really hard to process where we have to throw. Sometimes we think, ‘Okay, we’ll throw there’, but then the wind comes from the other side. And lots of throwers are struggling today. Nobody touched the automatic qualification mark. It was tough conditions, but we are happy that all three Indians are in the final.”

Jos Buttler hits four sixes on his way to another half-century knock in the 2026 Hundred, to help Manchester Super Giants post a score of 137 against Trent Rockets at Old Trafford.

FOLLOW LIVE: 2026 Hundred – Manchester Super Giants v Trent Rockets

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Golf star Charley Hull pulled off a savage prank on her caddie, Adam Woodward, earlier in the week, and some people were upset about it. She doesn’t care.

Hull, 30, gave Woodward a fake scratch-off lottery ticket, and he thought he had won $100,000. She recounted the tale while speaking with the media ahead of the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in England, and people criticized Hull on social media. Hull had a blunt message for those people.

“No, and people that have complaints about it, I’d say loosen up,” Hull told reporters when asked if she regretted it.

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Charley Hull of England interacts with her caddie, Adam Woodward, on the fourth hole during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship 2026 at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The star golfer said Woodward took it like a champion and thought it was funny.

“He thought it was funny after, he’s not uptight, like it’s a joke. If people don’t like it they can lump it, do you know what I mean? I felt bad for (Woodward) but at the end of the day, I just got to have a good week and then at the end of the week I’ll buy him 100 scratch cards,” Hull said.

“Hopefully he can earn more money than that as well this week if we play well.”

CHARLEY HULL PULLS OFF SAVAGE LOTTERY PRANK ON HER CADDIE AT WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN

Charley Hull of England and her caddie, Adam Woodward, look across the third hole during the second round of The Amundi Evian Championship 2026 at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 10, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Hull said she bought the fake scratch-off lottery ticket in town on Monday, and gave it to Woodward on Tuesday. The golfer said Woodward was jubilant after thinking he had struck gold with his newfound fortune.

“He’s scratching it, scratching it, scratching, and he’s like ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve won’ and he’s taken his hat off, he’s taken his glasses off. He’s literally running around the player’s lounge saying ‘I’ve won $100,000, I’m taking today off.’

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Charley Hull of England shows a video of her caddie Adam Woodward on her phone as she speaks to the media, explaining how she pranked him with a fake scratch card earlier this morning, during a press conference prior to the AIG Women’s Open 2026 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes on July 28, 2026 in Lytham St Annes, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) (Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

“He was sweating, he was trembling, he couldn’t believe his luck, and we had to tell him it was fake and he nearly quit the job,” Hull said with a laugh.

Hull has put herself and Woodward in position to make some money at the Women’s Open, as she is tied for seventh at 2-under par after two rounds. She is four strokes off the lead.

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The Vikings’ cap space was sitting in a spot that was teetering between medium and modest. Does that remain so after the Brian O’Neill signing?

Over the Cap had long put the estimate around $13 million in open room. To a certain extent, that was somewhat misleading since the removal of the offseason’s top-51 cutoff is going to lower the open room. What happens, though, if that O’Neill savings gets applied? OTC now insists that Vikings are sitting on cap space that’s a pretty rotund $21,264,099.

The Vikings’ Cap Space to Get Replenished

Replenishing the budget always comes with fascination. What can be more fun than a (potential) spending spree?

— READ MORE: OL Gets Nice Boost as Vikings’ Star Left Tackle Said to be Ready —
— READ MORE: The Vikings Brought 9 Players to Town for a Workout —
— READ MORE: Jadeveon Clowney is Becoming Popular, So it’s Time for Vikings to Call —

Many think of edge rusher as a spot that’s aching for some added help. Jadeveon Clowney, in particular, boasts promise as somebody who is uniquely talented even as he’s a touch older. Another name that has gained some miles flying around in the headlines has been Kyle Van Noy.

Otherwise, there’s some need at tight end, the interior of the offensive line, in the secondary, and possibly at defensive tackle. Going bold would mean taking a major swing at DT Vita Vea.

Or, perhaps, Nolan Teasley continues being patient.

The new decision maker in the front office has mostly made small decisions. Adding safety/linebacker Jamal Adams gets plenty of attention since that’s a player who climbed to being elite in the past. What he’s capable of doing in 2026 remains to be seen; he’s playing on a modest contract regardless.

Otherwise, there have been adds such as RB Jordan Mims, WR Michael Briscoe, and TE Marshall Lang (among some others). As a rough guideline, think of these additions as being in the range of $1 million(ish). Very modest, at least in the NFL.

But then there are the possibilities that arrive via open cap space.

By finding themselves at roughly $21.3 million in open room, the Vikings will live in the top half of the NFL for open room. Possessing that buying power means being able to remain open for business. Bringing back Harrison Smith, signing somebody for the pass rushing department, and/or dipping into the trade market could all be on the table.

Worst case, the Vikings’ cap space doesn’t get chewed up. Minnesota can then assess how things look at the trade deadline. If they again stay on the sidelines, the Vikings can move that open room into the future.

Keep swinging by Vikings Territory. The NFL has turned on the news faucet, meaning the updates are flowing. Quite possibly, that reality will lead to the Vikings making an add or two.

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

AIG Women’s Open

-7 H Ryu (Kor); -6 S Kuwaki (Jpn); -5 Y Noh (US), A Thitikul (Tha); -3 S Joo (Kor); -2 L Woad (Eng), C Hull (Eng), C Wannasaen (Tha), L Li (US), J Yan (US), L Coughlin (US), P Martin (Esp), M Katsu (Jpn)

Selected others: -1 L Ko (NZ), M Rhodes (Eng); +2 A Hewson (Eng), +6 G Hall (Eng), +7 M Yamashita (Jpn)

Full leaderboard

South Korea’s Haeran Ryu birdied the 18th to bounce back from a poor start and end the second round as leader of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The 25-year-old, aiming to become only the fifth woman in history to claim three majors in a calendar year, is one shot clear of Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki.

Earlier this month, Ryu claimed her second major in the space of two weeks at the Evian Championship, and her remarkable major form has continued at the Open.

Despite being three over for the day through five holes, she sank five birdies to shoot two under par and build on her opening-round score of 66.

“The last hole is so important as it is always good for tomorrow, I always want to make a good score on the last hole,” Ryu told BBC Sport.

“I’ve had two birdies on it, which is a good thing.

“I just stayed patient after that [the tough start] and I made some birdies to finish under par. I am so happy now.”

Kuwaki, who finished Thursday two shots behind leader Jeeno Thitikul, carded a one-under-par round to take advantage of Thitikul’s dropped shots.

Following a spectacular seven-under-par 64, Thailand’s Thitikul shot a two-over-par 73.

American Yealimi Noh joins world number two Thitikul on five under par after shooting 70.

England’s Lottie Woad is in a strong position to compete for a first major title despite a disappointing end to her second round.

The 22-year-old, who arrived as one of the favourites, ended the day on two under par.

Woad’s bogey-free opening round of 69 was followed up by a score of 71, which included three birdies on the front nine.

However, two dropped shots on the back nine – one on 17 – leaves her five shots back.

England’s Charley Hull went round in even par to remain on two under par, while world number one Nelly Korda shot 68 to recover from an opening-round two-over-par 73.

Three-time major champion Lydia Ko is also well placed to make a move from one under par, as is England’s Mimi Rhodes, who recovered from two early bogeys to sink three birdies.

More to follow.