Nodirbek Abdusattorov has good memories of Chennai. He was at the forefront of Uzbekistan’s spectacular run in the chess Olympiad in nearby Mamallapuram in 2022, with his defeat of D. Gukesh on the top board ensuring the gold for his team.

Abdusattorov is back in the city for the Chennai Grand Masters tournament and is more than happy to return. The 21-year-old Uzbek, who is part of a group of rising stars from the Central Asian republic, said he was looking forward to the match against the World champion but wasn’t focussing only on it.

“This tournament is very short. In some rounds, anything can happen, because it’s a very young field,” the former World Rapid champion said in an interaction.

Abdusattorov has slipped under the radar in recent times with his compatriot Javokhir Sindarov stealing the spotlight with a triumph in last year’s World Cup in Goa before dominating the field in the Candidates to set up a World championship match against Gukesh.

He said he would help Sindarov in his preparation for the title clash. “I had joined his training camp for a week before the Candidates. For the upcoming World championship match, for sure, I will be part of his team. I will be training with him. From my perspective, he’s my friend, he’s close to me, and I will do my best to help him,” Abdusattorov said.

It is not common for chess players to have friendships, especially with rivals, but the young Uzbek superstars seem to be different.

The Abdusattorov-Sindarov friendship could be crucial as Uzbekistan aims to win the Olympiad gold to be held back home in Samarkand.

Having crossed the milestone of 413 international matches and becoming the highest-capped Indian hockey player, Manpreet Singh is in no mood to slow down.

With his landmark coming in India’s first Pro League victory of the season against reigning world champion Germany on Wednesday, the Indian midfielder is now eyeing the Asian Games and the upcoming World Cup to further burnish his credentials as one of the fittest players in world hockey.

“This year is very important for us. The Pro league matches are already on and playing England and Pakistan will be very useful because they are in our group in the World Cup, for which we will be back here next month,” Manpreet said during an interaction with select media on Thursday.

“England has been doing well so those games will be important. Then there will be Asian Games soon after which is the ticket to LA Olympics.

“As for fitness, there is no alternative. World hockey today is at a level where if you are not at peak fitness all the time, you cannot survive.

“With age, I know I have to work extra hard to keep up with everyone else and I have worked a lot on my fitness over the years because if I don’t I won’t be able to remain in the team.

“It’s really that simple and something the coach has also repeatedly made clear — your fitness levels will decide your spot in the side,” he added.

There had been a lot of talk around the milestone in the last few months but Manpreet insisted it did not matter. “My focus has always been on maintaining my fitness. It is a big honour, playing 413 matches over 15 years, and I am proud of it but it doesn’t change anything on field.

“The number of caps or captain’s band doesn’t really matter. My focus has always been on how to improve as a team and I will continue doing that. It doesn’t mean I stop listening to others,” he declared.