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Year: 2024

How India’s Gukesh Dommaraju became chess king in a cricket crazy country

How India’s Gukesh Dommaraju became chess king in a cricket crazy country

Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest world chess champion ever after defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China. Gukesh’s win on Thursday came in the last game of the 14-game World Chess Championship in Singapore. The otherwise cricket-crazed India is jubilant at the 18-year-old’s victory. Here is more about Gukesh, and how he clinched the world title: Who is Gukesh? Gukesh comes from Chennai, the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He attended Chennai’s Velammal Nexus School. He started playing chess at the age of seven, Gukesh said in an interview uploaded in 2019 by the Gibraltar International Chess Festival. “Chess is so complex, so I just love it,” Gukesh said in the video. “I want to become a world champion.” By the age of 12, Gukesh had become a grandmaster – the highest title a chess player can attain – making him the third-youngest grandmaster in history and the youngest one from India. Gukesh sees beauty and philosophy in pawns, bishops and boards. A YouTube video uploaded by the chess news publication ChessBase India shows the shelves of his room in his Chennai house stacked with trophies and chess books, such as Under the Surface by Jan Markos and Yochanan Afek’s Practical Chess Beauty. Advertisement Chennai has come to be known as the chess capital of India. Out of the 85 chess grandmasters in India, 31 are from Tamil Nadu. The state is even home to a temple dedicated to the game Is he the youngest world chess champion? Yes. Before Gukesh, Russian legend Garry Kasparov was the youngest to become world champion at the age of 22 in 1985. How did Gukesh win? Gukesh qualified for the championship in April by winning the men’s Candidates Tournament of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). He was the youngest candidate to win the Candidates Tournament. He competed against seven other contestants in the event held in April in Toronto, Canada. The winner of the double round-robin tournament goes on to challenge the defending champion for the world title. Ding, 32, became world champion in 2023. Starting November 25, Gukesh and Ding faced off over 14 intense games. In chess, a player wins one point for a win and half a point for a draw. Ding went into the lead by winning the first game. The second round ended in a tie. Gukesh won the third game, tying things up with Ding at 1.5 each. They remained tied for multiple games, drawing each of them. In the 11th game, Gukesh, playing with white, took the lead after Ding made a blunder. But Ding bounced back by winning the 12th game, levelling the playing field once again. The 13th game resulted in a draw. The winning moment Gukesh played with black in the 14th and final game. Midway through, a draw appeared imminent. But Ding made the mistake of moving his last powerful piece, his rook, off a strong position. Ding’s mistake took Gukesh by surprise, and he looked intently at the board and calculated his next moves. Ding, left, and Gukesh compete in game 14 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore on December 12, 2024 [Simon Lim/AFP] After realising his mistake, Ding was visibly disappointed and resigned three moves later, conceding the world champion title to Gukesh. Advertisement “It took me a while to realise I blundered. … I think I played my best tournament in the year. “I could be better, but considering yesterday’s luck, it’s a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets,” Ding said at a news conference after the game, saying he would continue to play chess. [Simon Lim/AFP] When Gukesh realised he had won, he broke into tears. Speaking to reporters after the game, Gukesh said he initially did not realise Ding’s blunder but when he did: “It was probably the best moment of my life.” Gukesh reacts after winning. [Simon Lim/AFP] Gukesh said Ding “fought like a true champion”. Who are the earlier 17 champions? Wilhelm Steinitz: Born in Prague, Steinitz was the first official world champion, grabbing the title in 1886 and holding it for eight years over four championships. Emanuel Lasker: Born in Prussia in what is today Poland, Lasker won the title in 1894 and held it over six championships. Jose Raul Capablanca: Hailing from Cuba, Capablanca won the title in 1921. Alexander Alekhine: The Russian who obtained French citizenship won the title first in 1927 and three times after that. Max Euwe: The Dutch mathematician won the title in 1935. Mikhail Botvinnik: The Russian won the title five times, first in 1948. Vasily Smyslov: The Russian became world champion in 1957. Mikhail Tal: The Latvian became world champion in 1960. Tigran V Petrosian: The Armenian remained world champion from 1963 to 1969. Boris Spassky: The Russian became world champion in 1969. Bobby Fischer: The American became world champion in 1972. Anatoly Karpov: The Russian held the title from 1975 to 1985, winning five times. Garry Kasparov: The Russian held the title from 1985 to 2000, winning six times. Vladimir Kramnik: The Russian held the title from 2000 to 2007, winning three times. Viswanathan Anand: The first grandmaster and world champion from India won the title in 2007 and held it until 2013, winning four times. Magnus Carlsen: The Norwegian grandmaster won the title in 2013 and held it until 2023. Ding: The Chinese grandmaster held the title of world champion for 20 months after winning it in April 2023. Advertisement What are the reactions to Gukesh’s win? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Modi posted on X on Thursday: “This is the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi: Gandhi also posted on X: “Gukesh, you’ve made all of India proud!” Gukesh, you’ve made all of India proud! At just 18, becoming the youngest-ever World Chess Champion is a phenomenal achievement. Your passion and hard work remind us that with determination, anything is possible. Congratulations, champ! pic.twitter.com/wcK4YZmVB9

Dem claims Trump wielding nuclear strike authority ‘should terrify you’ — then people point out the obvious

Dem claims Trump wielding nuclear strike authority ‘should terrify you’ — then people point out the obvious

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., claimed that people should be terrified that President-elect Donald Trump will possess the power to initiate a nuclear attack.  In a post on X, Markey noted, “Come January, Donald Trump will have the sole authority to launch a nuclear strike. This should terrify you. That’s why @RepTedLieu and I are urging @POTUS to put guardrails on presidential authority to start nuclear war.” Trump — who trounced Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House contest by winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote — previously served as president from early 2017 through early 2021. And during his Oval Office tenure, he never used nuclear weapons. BIDEN ADMIN SETS NEW TARGET TO TRIPLE US NUCLEAR CAPACITY FROM 2020 LEVELS He has also been outspoken about the massive danger posed by nuclear weapons. “To me, we have one really major threat: That’s called nuclear weapons,” Trump said earlier this year. “This isn’t Army tanks going back and forth and shooting at each other. This is obliteration,” he said of the powerful weapons. “We have incredible stuff, so does Russia. China has much less but” will “catch up,” Trump said, calling the issue the “single biggest threat by far to civilization.” Josh Barnett, who lost in a Republican primary for an Arizona state Senate seat earlier this year, responded to Markey’s post by writing, “LOL he had the authority the last four years he was in office.”  PUTIN SIGNS REVISED DOCTRINE LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR NUCLEAR RESPONSE IF RUSSIA IS ATTACKED Others made the point as well. “Hey buddy, he was already president once,” Tom Gillis, who describes himself on X as a “Former PGA tour player,” declared in response to the lawmaker’s post. “He had the power before and didn’t use it,” another individual, Shonathan Perrius, tweeted. In a letter to President Joe Biden Markey and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., declared that during his waning time in office the commander-in-chief could “safeguard the system against Donald Trump or any future unstable president, and make it constitutional. “We urge you to announce that henceforth it will be the policy of the United States that it will not initiate a nuclear first strike without express authorization from Congress. In a situation where the United States has already been attacked with nuclear weapons, the president would retain the option to respond unilaterally,” the two Democrats declared in their letter to the president. US MUST EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN FACE OF RUSSIA AND CHINA THREAT, WARNS TOP OBAMA DEFENSE ADVISER The lawmakers have long advocated for the policy shift, repeatedly pushing legislation on the issue. “As the coauthors of the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act — proposed legislation that prohibits any U.S. president from launching a nuclear first strike without prior congressional authorization — we urge you, in your remaining time in office, to change this unconstitutional policy,” they said in their letter to Biden. “We first introduced this act during the Obama administration not as a partisan effort, but to make the larger point that current U.S. policy, which gives the president sole authority to launch nuclear weapons without any input from Congress, is dangerous. As Donald Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office, it is more important than ever to take the power to start a nuclear war out of the hands of a single individual and ensure that Congress’s constitutional role is respected and fulfilled,” Markey and Lieu noted.

Sen. Booker ‘frustrated’ by lack of transparency about drones, says it’s causing ‘misinformation to spread’

Sen. Booker ‘frustrated’ by lack of transparency about drones, says it’s causing ‘misinformation to spread’

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he is “frustrated” by the government’s lack of transparency surrounding the recent drone sightings in his state and surrounding areas in the mid-Atlantic region. On Capitol Hill on Thursday, the senator said that he has issued a letter asking for more information because Americans should be aware of what is happening in the skies. “I’ve been a little frustrated,” he told reporters. “There hasn’t been enough transparency letting people know what’s happening. It’s allowing a lot of potentially misinformation to spread, or at least fear. We should know what’s going on over our skies.” LEGISLATORS ACROSS POLITICAL SPECTRUM ‘EQUALLY ANGRY’ OVER HANDLING OF DRONE SIGHTINGS: NEW JERSEY LAWMAKER Booker said he has been hearing from his constituents and other elected leaders, all of whom share his concerns about the mysterious drones. “We have agencies and organizations from the government that should be able to provide a lot more information than the public has,” he said, adding that the public should have “good information” on a situation that is “understandably concerning.” The senator also worries that the lack of transparency about the drones could potentially fuel misinformation. “I’ve heard a lot of things about them, and again, I want to make sure that we have all the facts,” he said. NEW JERSEY RESIDENT CAPTURES VIDEO OF SUSPECTED DRONES HOVERING OUTSIDE HER HOME When asked if he thinks the drones should be shot down, Booker had an opinion differing from fellow congressman, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who clearly stated they should be, if necessary. “Safety first. You’re over populous neighborhoods and areas,” Booker said. “I think the most important thing right now is the safety and security of our communities, but we should know what’s going on.” Large drones were first spotted in New Jersey on Nov. 18, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed earlier this month.  The White House said in a daily press briefing on Thursday that a newly-started investigation into the drones has not revealed anything malicious, criminal or threatening to national security, thus far.

Top GOP rebel angles for powerful House leadership-backed committee post

Top GOP rebel angles for powerful House leadership-backed committee post

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is putting himself forward as a contender to be the next chair of the House Rules Committee, an influential panel that acts as the last gatekeeper for most bills before they get a House-wide vote. “I will defer to the speaker on that,” Roy said when asked about the chairmanship on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast this week. “Obviously, I have put my name out there.” It would be an astonishing ascent for a lawmaker who has been a vocal critic of House leadership on certain issues, particularly on government spending. More recently, however, the GOP rebel – and current policy chair of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus – has gained a reputation for being a conduit between GOP leaders and the lawmakers usually known for bucking their directives. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY Roy got a seat on the House Rules Committee as part of a deal with ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in January 2023 to expand conservative representation – a piece of a wider compromise for McCarthy to win his short-lived House speakership. The Texas Republican was not one of the eight Republicans who later voted to oust McCarthy despite his early criticism – and was even publicly skeptical of his colleagues’ decision to do so. The House Rules Committee is the final stop for bills before a House-wide vote. The committee and its chair are responsible for dictating the terms of debate on a bill and what, if any, amendments will also get a vote. After a bill passes the House Rules Committee, it is then subject to a House-wide “rule vote” to allow for debate on the legislation before a vote on final passage. In his two years on the committee, Roy has voted against several House rules, which could put his hopes for the role in jeopardy. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER He’s scored support from multiple colleagues, however – Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital on Thursday, “He’d be great. I support him 100%.” Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, wrote on X that Roy “will build the conservative coalition in the House needed to support President Trump’s priorities as Rule Committee chairman.” But unlike other committees, whose chairpersons are selected by a wider group of lawmakers, only the House speaker gets a say for the House Rules panel. “I think it’s important to have a rules chairman, whoever that may be, that will support leadership,” one GOP lawmaker granted anonymity to speak freely said about Roy’s bid.  “The speaker is going to get his agenda passed one way or the other, and so whoever he appoints to that – that’s going to be the deal. Because he can remove them and then replace them.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN Another GOP lawmaker said, “He’s one of the brightest and knows procedure, but most won’t trust him in that role.” Rumors are swirling that current House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., is also in contention for the role. Current House Rules Committee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, is retiring at the end of this year. 

Tren de Aragua are ideological terrorists disguised as a street gang warns former military officer

Tren de Aragua are ideological terrorists disguised as a street gang warns former military officer

A former high-ranking Venezuelan military officer is sounding the alarm about the migrant gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) being used as a tool of the Venezuelan government to sow violence and discord throughout the United States. Tren de Aragua, which means “Train from Aragua,” is a massive criminal and terrorist organization that originated a decade ago in a Venezuelan prison and is already present in more than 30 major U.S. cities. José Gustavo Arocha, a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan army, told Fox News Digital that socialist Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is behind much of TdA’s growth and rapid expansion, first in Latin America and now in the U.S. VIOLENT VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA SPREADS TO ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST REMOTE STATES Arocha fled Venezuela to the United States in 2015 after being imprisoned by the Maduro regime for eight months. Since then, he said the situation has only worsened with Maduro asserting ever more control over the region. This year, Maduro retained control of the country by prevailing in a hotly contested election that was widely believed to be fraudulent.  “We have to understand also something of the Tren de Aragua, the TdA. It’s a state-sponsored Maduro regime organization,” he said. “The real boss of the Tren de Aragua is in Caracas, Venezuela. It is the Maduro regime, because they created TdA, and they use the TdA as a blackmail [tool] for any situation.” Arocha said the Maduro dictatorship’s counterintelligence agency – the Directorate of Military Counterintelligence, also known as “DGCIM” – has been using TdA as an asymmetrical warfare tool, giving itself “plausible deniability.” EX-ICE OFFICIAL WARNS TREN DE ARAGUA HAS GROWN FASTER INSIDE US THAN MURDEROUS RIVAL GANG: ‘PUT THEM OUT NOW’ Tren de Aragua first burst onto the scene in the U.S. when several members of the gang violently took control of an apartment building in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. Since then, the gang has been responsible for a steady stream of violent attacks and gang-related crimes, including the high-profile murder of nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia. While some media reports have portrayed TdA as a simple gang, Arocha said the group has been trained and enabled by the Venezuelan government and DGCIM to advance a specific agenda and criminal ideology. Even the name “train from Aragua,” he said, evidences the group’s intent to transport its ideology throughout the Western Hemisphere. Arocha said the Venezuelan government has already used TdA to inflict crippling crime waves in surrounding countries, helping to usher in a slate of socialist-friendly governments in Colombia, Peru and Chile.   “They want to create all sorts of chaos in countries in order to shape the contours of the borders and also to create a sensation of instability [and] criminality,” he said. “This kind of culture they are exporting outside from Venezuela, first of all [to] Latin America, and right now the U.S.” VENEZUELAN NATIONAL AND TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER ARRESTED IN TRUMP’S BACKYARD According to Arocha, the Venezuelan government has seized on the historic migrant crisis under the Biden administration as a “big opportunity” to “create roots” in the U.S. The administration further worsened the situation by temporarily lifting key oil sanctions previously in place against Maduro. “Just imagine, there are more or less 8 million Venezuelan migrants. It’s a huge number,” he said. “If you look at that, it’s like a wall where it’s spreading all over the states. And when you take into consideration the bussing of the migrants from Texas to other states, they are spreading like a disease, like a virus, all over the country.” With President-elect Donald Trump soon to replace Biden, Arocha said Trump must put the destruction of Tren de Aragua at the “top” of the list of day-one priorities. While acknowledging that it’s crucial to close the southern border, Arocha said Tren de Aragua will simply return if the U.S. does not “contain” Maduro. “Just imagine that, OK, you take all of Tren de Aragua and send [them] to Venezuela or whatever country. It’s going to come back. That’s not going to finish the disease,” he said. “You have to combat the cause of TdA. The cause of the TdA is the behavior of the Maduro regime that is trying to hurt the American people by using this asymmetrical tool.” “The rule is to not give Maduro the ability to continue in Venezuela,” Arocha said. “What I mean is that if you let Maduro to have oil revenues, have the access to resources, you have to have TdA here in the United States.”