BANGKOK and SINGAPORE, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Six chess players representing all six inhabited continents will travel to Antarctica and the Geographic South Pole this Antarctic summer season to attempt the Polar Chess Expedition, the most geographically extreme chess tournament ever played.

The FIDE-rated tournament will be played at rapid chess time-control, with every round broadcast live. Play opens with early rounds on the Antarctic ice before culminating at 90° South, in an attempt to be certified as the southernmost chess tournament ever played.

The six players, each represent a different continent, and every player also serves their national or regional chess federation in some capacity

Aung Kyaw Moe, Candidate Master (Myanmar), AsiaDamaris Abarca González, Woman FIDE Master (Chile), South AmericaJesse February, Woman International Master (South Africa), AfricaNigel Short, FIDE Grandmaster (England), EuropeShaun Press, FIDE Master (Papua New Guinea), OceaniaTris-Ann Richards, Woman Candidate Master (Saint Lucia), North America

The field is led by Grandmaster Nigel Short of England, who in 1993 became the first Englishman in over a century to challenge for the World Chess Championship, taking on Garry Kasparov. Nigel currently serves as FIDE’s Director for Chess Development and lends the event both competitive weight and international recognition.

The story behind the Polar Chess Expedition

The idea took root two years ago when Aung came across an interview in which Nigel mentioned that he had won tournaments on every continent except Antarctica. ‘I’ve won tournaments on six continents. Antarctica is the one still missing,’ says Nigel.

Aung decided to embark on the project. Together with Nigel, they spoke to national chess federations across all six continents, turning a shared idea into a FIDE-rated tournament. “Nigel had the idea; my job was to make it real. Now it is, and we’re taking it to the end of the earth,” says Aung.

Two of the players sum up the appeal of the challenge in their own words.

‘I live by a simple rule: If something scares you a little, it’s probably worth doing. By that measure, chess at the bottom of the world was never really a question,’ says Jesse February, the tournament’s Africa representative.

“Chess has taken me to some strange places over the years. This might be the first one where the biggest opponent isn’t across the board; it’s the weather,” says Shaun Press, representing Oceania.

World record attempt: southernmost chess tournament ever played

The Polar Chess Expedition is aiming to set a new world record. Potential record categories include the southernmost chess tournament ever played and the first chess event to bring players representing all six inhabited continents to the Geographic South Pole.

For two of the players carrying continents to a chessboard for the first time, the record is personal as much as historic.

‘Saint Lucia is a small island, but chess has never asked me to think small. Representing my country, and an entire continent, is proof you can do big things from small places; there’s no ceiling on where the game can take you,’ says Tris-Ann Richards, representing North America.

‘Chess has always been a bigger board than the one in front of you. Carrying South America to the bottom of the earth is just the latest way I’ve found to keep playing for something larger than myself,’ says Damaris Abarca González, representing South America.

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SOURCE Polar Chess Expedition

A conversation on performance, leadership, recognizing potential and creating a lasting legacy

HYDERABAD, India, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zaggle Prepaid Ocean Services Limited (NSE: ZAGGLE) (BSE: 543985), India’s leading AI-led enterprise spend management and FinTech platform, brought together an accomplished gathering of CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs, industrialists and professionals in Hyderabad for an evening that explored the common principles connecting cricket, business and leadership, featuring legendary cricketer and Padma Bhushan Dr. Sunil Gavaskar.

The evening centered around the idea that while cricket and business operate in very different arenas, the principles that drive sustained success are remarkably similar, preparation, performance under pressure, decision-making, resource management, teamwork and the ability to build for the long term.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Raj P. Narayanam, Founder & Executive Chairman, Zaggle, said: “Cricket and business may operate in different arenas, but the principles that drive sustained success are remarkably similar, preparation, performance under pressure, making the right decisions and building teams that can deliver consistently. At Zaggle, we believe that recognizing potential early, backing talent and creating the right environment for people to perform is fundamental to long-term success. It is equally important to ask what we do with that success, how we create opportunities, give back and build a legacy that extends beyond ourselves. Conversations with legends like Dr. Sunil Gavaskar remind us that true excellence is not just about what we achieve, but the impact we create along the way.”

Know the Legend: A Conversation with Dr. Sunil Gavaskar

The highlight of the evening was “Know the Legend”, a fireside conversation between Dr. Raj P. Narayanam and Padma Bhushan Dr. Sunil Gavaskar, bringing together two perspectives on performance, leadership, entrepreneurship and legacy.

The discussion explored the making of sustained success from preparing for high-pressure moments and adapting to changing circumstances, to identifying potential, creating opportunities and building teams capable of delivering consistently.

Dr. Gavaskar’s extraordinary journey mirrors the evolution of Indian cricket itself. From being one of the defining opening batsmen of his generation to becoming a global voice for the sport, his career has been shaped by discipline, resilience, preparation and the ability to perform when expectations are at their highest.

The conversation also reflected on how Indian cricket has evolved from a sport into a global industry and cultural force, while drawing parallels with the transformation taking place across India’s business and entrepreneurial landscape.

From Performance to Purpose

A key theme of the evening was the responsibility that accompanies success. The conversation moved beyond achievement to consider how individuals and organisations can create opportunities for others, give back to society and build value that extends across generations.

For Zaggle, this philosophy is reflected in its approach to supporting talent and creating platforms for potential to flourish. The company has supported cricketing talent including Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Ayush Mhatre, reflecting its belief in recognizing potential early, backing it with conviction and creating the right environment for talent to grow.

The evening concluded with reflections on leadership, excellence, contribution and legacy, leaving the audience with a broader question: after achieving success, how can we use it to create opportunities and make a meaningful difference to others?

The gathering brought together diverse voices from Hyderabad’s business, entrepreneurial and professional ecosystem, united by a shared interest in leadership, performance, contribution and the pursuit of excellence.

About Zaggle

Incorporated in 2011, Zaggle (NSE: ZAGGLE) (BSE: 543985) is a leading player in spend management, with a differentiated value proposition and diversified user base. The company operates in the business-to-business-to-customer segment and is amongst a small number of uniquely positioned players with a diversified offering of financial technology products and services. Zaggle is one of the largest number of issued prepaid cards in India in partnership with its banking partners and is also one of the largest commercial credit cards player in India basis spends generated on cards issued by its partner banks. Additionally, Zaggle has a diversified portfolio of SaaS products, including tax and payroll software and a wide touchpoint reach. It is a leading player in spend management, with more than 50 million prepaid cards issued in partnership with 19 banking partners and more than 4.0 million users served as of June 30, 2026, offering a differentiated value proposition and diversified user base.

Zaggle’s network of corporate customers covers the banking and finance, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, FMCG, infrastructure and automobile industries.

For more information, please visit company website https://www.zaggle.in/ and follow our latest updates on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Zagg.Money

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SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Asia-Pacific Media Forum opened in Shenzhen, southern China’s Guangdong province. Li Shulei, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. Huang Kunming, secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, also attended and addressed the ceremony. Held under the theme “Building a Path to Shared Prosperity for the Asia-Pacific Community: Media Consensus and Action,” the forum brought together more than 400 representatives from over 220 mainstream media organizations, think tanks, government agencies, embassies and consulates in China, UN agencies and international organizations. They came from 42 countries and regions worldwide, with strong representation from the Asia-Pacific, to renew friendships and explore opportunities for cooperation.

China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting later this year. The development and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region cannot be achieved without the active participation of media outlets across the region. It is important to tell the story of an open and interconnected Asia-Pacific, provide comprehensive coverage of progress and achievements in cooperation across all fields, and foster a favorable public opinion environment for the region’s opening and development.

The forum produced a number of practical outcomes: the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Media Partnership Organizing Committee, the exchange of China-foreign media cooperation documents, the launch of the “Gather in Shenzhen, Create a Better Asia-Pacific” Media Cooperation Initiative, and the release of the Shenzhen Consensus of the Asia-Pacific Media Forum (Shenzhen Consensus). These outcomes mark a pivotal leap in Asia-Pacific media cooperation—from “scattered interaction” to “institutionalized collaboration.” Against the backdrop of 2026 APEC “China Year,” the forum has injected tangible and much-needed media strength into the building of an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.

Ahead of the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the Media Cooperation Initiative launched by Shenzhen stands out as the forum’s most innovative and actionable outcome. The initiative forms a complete cooperation loop built on three pillars: technology sharing, joint content creation, and talent cultivation. On technology sharing, the Asia-Pacific Digital & Smart Media Intelligence Shenzhen Center will be established. Shenzhen is putting in place an advanced technological foundation for media, an open-source HarmonyOS (OpenHarmony) ecosystem, digital-intelligence laboratories and application scenarios, and stands ready to share technologies and outcomes with Asia-Pacific media counterparts, offering a “Shenzhen solution” for the systemic transformation and innovative development of mainstream media in the digital-intelligence era. On joint content creation, the “Witness Miracles, Seek Solutions” co-creation and joint broadcast program will be rolled out. It invites Asia-Pacific media partners to take Shenzhen as a case study and model, and to jointly plan and produce objective, truthful and multi-dimensional content products. On talent cultivation, the Training Base for Asia-Pacific Youth Media Professionals has been established. Each year it will invite Asia-Pacific media professionals—especially those under the age of 45—to Shenzhen for study tours, visits and training.

The Shenzhen Consensus released at the forum builds broad consensus on issues including open cooperation, digital, smart and green transformation, and media exchanges. It advocates safeguarding the multilateral trading system, deepening the application of AI, advancing mutual learning among civilizations, and contributing to Asia-Pacific prosperity.

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SOURCE Guangdong Province