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The Vietnam national chess team arrived in the Batumi of Georgia to compete in the 43rd Batumi Chess Olympiad, which began yesterday. Vietnam chess brings strongest formation to 43rd Batumi Chess Olympiad — Photo 24h.com.vn This year, the national team includes Lê Quang Liêm, Trần Tuấn Minh, Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn, Đào Thiên Hải and Nguyễn Anh Khôi in men’s doubles. Meanwhile, Phạm Lê Thảo Nguyên, Võ Thị Kim Phụng, Nguyễn Thị Mai Hưng, Hoàng Thị Bảo Trâm and Bạch Ngọc Thùy Dương will compete in women’s doubles. Vietnam’s chess grandmaster Hải was chosen as captain of the team. Most of players were selected from HDBank Cup International Open Chess tournament. Among them, Liêm and Sơn have been champions for years. The tournament is a … [Read more...] about Vietnam chess brings strongest formation to Batumi Chess Olympiad

Cristiano Ronaldo turns his focus back to Juventus's quest for a treble this season on Wednesday (Sep 24) after losing out in the FIFA's best player of the year award. Cristiano Ronaldo turns his focus to Juventus' treble bid after losing out in the FIFA best player award. (Photo: AFP/Filippo Monteforte) Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo skipped the awards ceremony in London on Monday as his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric beat him for the award. The 33-year-old Portuguese star also lost out to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah for the Puskas Award for the best goal. He had been nominated for his superb overhead bicycle kick for Real Madrid against Juventus in last season's Champions League quarter-final, which even drew a standing ovation from Juventus supporters in Turin. Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri had backed Ronaldo - who has scored three goals in his last two league games - for the award, as he led the way in the Champions League with 15 goals to help Real to … [Read more...] about Ronaldo turns to Juventus challenge after FIFA best player snub

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's decade-long domination of football's individual awards is under threat from Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric and Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah when FIFA's player of the year is announced on Monday (Sep 24).  Luka Modric was crowned the best player at the World Cup for his performances with Croatia AFP/Johannes EISELE For the first time in 12 years Messi is not even nominated among the three finalists for the award after early exits for Argentina at the World Cup and Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Both Messi and Ronaldo have won FIFA's award in different guises five times each, and the Portuguese can move out on his own after winning a third straight Champions League title with Real Madrid before heading for pastures new with Juventus in July. For a sixth straight season, Ronaldo was the Champions League's top scorer with 15 goals and also scored four times at the World Cup, … [Read more...] about Modric threatens to end Ronaldo Messi era as world’s best

Roma's American owner James Pallotta said he was "disgusted" after the Serie A giants plunged further into crisis with a 2-0 defeat in Bologna on Sunday (Sep 23), piling the pressure on under-fire coach Eusebio Di Francesco. Pressure on Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco after their fourth Serie A game without a win. AFP/JAVIER SORIANO Roma - last year's third-placed team in Serie A - have slumped to 14th position after five games with just five points after Bologna scored their first goals of the season, and achieved their first win. "I am disgusted," the club's billionaire chairman Pallotta told RomaPress.US after the club have now gone six games in all competitions without a win. The side from the capital won their opening Serie A game against Torino, but were held by Atalanta and Chievo, and lost to AC Milan and now Bologna. Di Francesco was at a loss to explain what was lacking after last year's Champions League semi-finalists also fell 3-0 to holders Real Madrid in Spain … [Read more...] about Di Francesco under fire as Roma owner ‘disgusted’ by Bologna defeat

Naomi Osaka is striking a blow for racial equality in Japan AFP/Kazuhiro NOGI Following her 6-2, 6-4 thrashing of childhood idol Serena Williams in New York earlier this month, Osaka is set to become a global marketing force as sponsors prepare to break the bank to sign the 20-year-old. But Priyanka Yoshikawa, who two years ago was crowned Miss Japan, believes Osaka can also help break down cultural barriers in a country where multi-racial children make up just two percent of those born annually. "Naomi is definitely a role model," the half-Indian beauty queen told AFP. "Japan should be proud of her- she can definitely break down walls, she will have a big impact." Osaka, who has a Japanese mother, a Haitian father and was raised in the United States, is set to shine a light on what it means to be Japanese, predicts Yoshikawa. "The way she speaks, and her humbleness, are so Japanese," said the 24-year-old. "Japan puts all 'haafu' in the same bucket," added Yoshikawa, referring to … [Read more...] about Tennis queen Osaka a role model, says ‘Indian’ Miss Japan

France manager Didier Deschamps believes the outside world has the wrong image of Paul Pogba, who played a key role in leading Les Bleus to winning the World Cup. France coach Didier Deschamps believes Paul Pogba is more of a team player than he is given credit for. (Photo: AFP/Franck Fife) At club level the Manchester United midfielder hasn't lived up to expectations since his then world record £89 million (US$116 million) move from Juventus in 2016, although his performances have picked up in recent weeks. Off the field, Pogba has attracted criticism for spending too much time on social media and frequently changing his hairstyle than concentrating on his football. However, he shone for France in Russia, often sacrificing the attacking side of his game for the good of the team, before scoring in the final against Croatia. "The rest of the world had an image of Pogba which didn't really reflect who he is," Deschamps told FIFA's coaching conference to review the World … [Read more...] about Pogba not as selfish as people think, says Deschamps

From a deeper than usual playmaker role Brazil's Neymar pulled the strings as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Rennes 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Sunday (Sep 23), helping to dispel midweek memories of a European flop at Liverpool. Angel Di Maria and Neymar celebrate the PSG equaliser. (Photo: AFP/Jean-Francois Monier) Hosts Rennes took a surprise 11th minute lead when PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot nodded past his own 'keeper, Gianluigi Buffon, from a corner before goals from Angel Di Maria, Thomas Meunier and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gave them a hard-fought sixth straight Ligue 1 win. Later Sunday Lyon, who stunned Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek, host bitter rivals Marseille. PSG critics have suggested the French giants had overspent on strikers and forgotten about the midfield after a tame 3-2 defeat in the Champions League at Anfield this week. With superstar striker Kylian Mbappe sitting out through suspension, there was room for both Di Maria and … [Read more...] about Neymar gets PSG back on track

Kiki Bertens defeated Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the Korea Open final on Sunday (Sep 23), securing her third WTA Tour singles title of the season to continue her career-best year. The win is Bertens' third WTA Tour singles title of the season. (Photo: AFP/Al Bello) The second-seeded Bertens came back from break down in the deciding set to defeat the Australian in two hours and 22 minutes and add a seventh title to her collection. In the narrowly contested match, the Dutchwoman rallied past the unseeded Tomljanovic to grab a 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2 victory. Bertens was broken twice in the first set but fought back each time and then dominated the tiebreaker. But Tomljanovic came back with her best tennis of the match to take the second, coming from 3-4 down and winning five games in a row to send the match into a decider. And the Australian looked like she might complete the comeback as she took a 2-0 lead, but the battling Bertens fought back, winning the final six games of the … [Read more...] about Bertens defeats Tomljanovic to secure Korea Open win

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker says he was stung by criticism from Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino after he left the north London club. Manchester City's Kyle Walker has taken a swipe at Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino AFP/Lindsey PARNABY Walker joined City in July 2017 and has since won the Premier League title and League Cup with Pep Guardiola's team, while Tottenham remain without a trophy under Pochettino. Pochettino claimed in a book published last year that Walker wanted to leave Tottenham well before the move to City finally happened. He also accused the England defender of forcing through the switch to the Etihad Stadium, saying it showed an "alarming lack of respect". But Walker, 28, has refuted Pochettino's claims and hit back at his former manager for making details of their conversation public. "I was hurt a lot by that," Walker said in an interview with the Daily Mail. "He said his door was always open and I thought it was a private meeting we had. … [Read more...] about Kyle Walker hurt by Pochettino jibes

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo secured his fourth pole position of the 2018 MotoGP season on Saturday (Sep 22) by sneaking ahead of Andrea Dovizioso in qualifying at Aragon. Jorge Lorenzo seals pole in Aragon AFP/JOSE JORDAN Lorenzo beat his Italian Ducati team-mate by 0.014sec while Honda's Marc Marquez was 0.079sec back in third. Marquez, who is chasing a fifth world championship title but is without a victory in his last four races, had set the pace with a time of 1.46.960sec. But the Spaniard paid the price for a mistake at Turn 12 on his final run as Lorenzo and Dovizioso both saved their best times until last. Yamaha's Valentino Rossi managed to complete only one timed lap during the session. The Italian veteran qualified in a disappointing 18th, his lowest grid position since 2006. Britain's Cal Crutchlow was pushed back into the second row after finishing fourth. He missed the chance to fight for a top-three spot after crashing out during his last lap. Crutchlow sits in front … [Read more...] about Lorenzo takes pole for Aragon MotoGP, Rossi struggles